ROCKY HILL - Lawmakers will likely wait till February to make policy proposals for combatting car thefts, but local leaders and residents are getting an early look at tentative measures as state officials gear up for the winter legislative session.

       The list of juvenile justice proposals presented by State House Reps Kerry Wood (D-Rocky Hill) and Craig Fishbein (R-Wallingford) at a recent Rocky Hill juvenile justice forum include expedited arraignment, quicker placement into rehabilitative intervention programs, and GPS monitoring for repeat offenders awaiting adjudication at home.

       The forum was organized by Rocky Hill Mayor Lisa Marotta, who has led a local-level response that’s included ‘lock-it-or-lose-it’ PSA’s, the allocation of funds to hire new police officers, and the establishment of a Rocky Hill PD tip line.

       “We’ve been working hard at the grassroots level,” the Mayor said. “We were hoping there would be a special session.”

       Members of a bipartisan Judiciary Committee working group have been laying plans for state-level discussions since the summer �" in addition to their aforementioned proposals, they’re calling for additional funding for regional information sharing and collaboration through the Department of Emergency Service and Protections (DESPP).

       “I think everyone in this room knows something has to be done,” Wood told an audience in Rocky Hill recently. “We're in agreement on solutions. I see hope that we can see changes sooner rather than later."

       The Rocky Hill Police Department (RHPD) fielded 44 motor vehicle property crime reports �" break-in or theft �" in 2020, a RHPD-reported 46 percent increase.

       The local level upsurge is a microcosm of 2019-2020’s national auto theft increase �" a phenomenon that has, whether warranted or not, put a spotlight on Connecticut state-level juvenile justice reform that signaled a shift to restorative practices and an effort to buck recidivism.

       Proponents of the changes �" closing the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CFTS), raising the minimum age for adult court prosecution, and putting tighter limits on detentions and discretionary transfers, among other changes �" say they have been largely effective, and even juvenile prosecutors have been inclined to agree.

       But lawmakers have been wrestling with how to address a what law enforcement describes as a smaller segment of chronic repeat offenders �" those juvenile justice reform advocates say underscore the need for not only a restorative response, but anti-poverty and mental health programs aimed at prevention.

       "I'm not excusing crimes, but what are we doing for students that are poor?” asked town resident and youth social worker Brian Donahue. "Where's the mental health? Where's the services? We need to start getting them the help they need earlier."

       Fellow Rocky Hill resident Steve Harvey didn’t disagree, but he also expressed frustration �" he says he has a neighbor that was robbed twice.

       "There needs to be efforts put in up front, but those are not mutually exclusive issues,” Harvey said. “We're talking about criminals stealing cars. How many more incidents are gonna happen before God forbid, another person gets killed, or we get off our butts as a community and get people to change?”

       But they are more deeply interwoven than people realized, quipped Calvin Lovejoy, a Hartford resident and former corrections officer who now runs community intervention programs for at-risk youth.

       He pointed to research regarding the impact of trauma on the developing brain �" more widely known as the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES).

       "Before we criminalize children, let our state look at how we help those who are victims acting out because of mental health, poverty, and this systemic racism in the state of Connecticut,” Lovejoy said. “I look forward to working with groups like this to find solutions."

       Kaeren Prescott urged lawmakers to look to existing models for inspiration �" she runs Power CT, a Manchester-based nonprofit that mentors at-risk youth living in low-income housing.

       With other programs shut down amid the pandemic, Power CT held “family-style” dinners with its around 30 participants, as a form of community building, Prescott says.

       "There has not been one complaint from August to November. Not one break-in,” she says.

       Rep Fishbein, an attorney and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, says that the policy proposals he hopes lawmakers will take up during the coming session look to address both the preventative and the enforcement side.

       Regarding the former, he’s calling for program enrollment at the time of arraignment �" to cut down on any delays, Fishbein says.

       He encouraged organization leaders like Prescott and Lovejoy to share their experiences with the legislature during the coming session.

       "I've seen these programs work,” he said. “The problem I see is, we're not getting kids into these programs quickly enough."

       He expressed similar sentiment regarding arraignment �" a 14-day wait under current policy.

       “A lot of bad things can happen in those 14 days,” Fishbein said.

       The Judiciary working group proposal is to expedite that �" for felonies and any Class A misdemeanor involving a fatality, serious injury, a firearm, or a sexual assault.

       "Not stealing a pack of gum - the serious stuff,” Fishbein said. "In 1983, the legislature said we're gonna take domestic violence seriously in this state, we're gonna have next-day arraignment. Well, let's do it with this stuff."

      

       Last year, the legislature created a Class A misdemeanor for any “adult” �" age 23 and over �" who entices a minor to commit a motor vehicle property crime.

       It also allowed DCF, in the case of repeat felons and/or firearm and motor vehicle property offenders, to investigate the quality of a youth perpetrator’s home environment.

       Those arrested and released for a motor vehicle property crime can be placed under at-home supervision, but proposed GPS monitoring was stripped from the language.

       The working group would look to change that �" and expedite the response time for those that violate the terms.

       "This is not an ankle bracelet. If a juvenile takes the bracelet off on a Friday and is out all weekend, they do not see their probation officer till Monday,” Rep. Wood said. “The GPS allows for 24-hour response with focus on repeat offenders.”