In 1999, The Tow Foundation saw opportunities to draw attention to the disparity in treatment and outcomes for the juvenile justice population in Connecticut and to advocate for improved services for these youth and their families. Through the foundation’s annual investments and partnership with three nonprofit advocacy groups, there has been an overwhelming shift in public policies, practices, and attitudes. In 2001, the partnership founded and continues to sit on the steering committee of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, which has successfully encouraged the state to adopt a comprehensive juvenile justice plan that emphasizes rehabilitation and community-based support services. The Alliance has been instrumental in advocating passage of a law that raised the age of juvenile jurisdiction from 16 to 17 in January 2010 and will raise it again to 18 in 2012, as well as a law to reduce the use of out-of-school suspensions. Its achievements in this and other areas have caught the attention of national and state-based advocates and policymakers, who are using Connecticut as a model for juvenile justice reform work in other states and nationally, and attracted local and national funders to invest in Connecticut.
