From Connecticut Justice Alliance:
The Connecticut Justice Alliance (CTJA) today released its 2025 Annual Report, documenting the organization’s youth-led advocacy over the past year, the progress made in reducing youth involvement in Connecticut’s legal system, and the persistent challenges facing children, families, and state systems.
The report reflects what CTJA saw, heard, and worked on throughout 2025 — including the highly publicized passage of legislation restricting the use of handcuffs and restraints on children.
“Last year saw remarkable achievements for our organization, even as conditions for children in the state’s legal system worsened,” said Christina Quaranta, CTJA’s Executive Director. “That tension only inspires us to do more. CTJA is committed to being a voice for young people who are not often heard in rooms where decisions get made. Our youth-led model is not only changing laws, it is giving young people with first- or second-hand experience in the system an opportunity to shape the future other young people will inherit.”
CTJA’s Annual Report highlights the work of the organization’s Justice Advisors — young leaders with lived experience who play a central role in shaping CTJA’s advocacy, policy priorities, and public engagement. In 2025, Justice Advisors testified before the legislature, participated in policy briefings, identified gaps between policy and practice, and helped lead community conversations across the state.
The report also documents several key areas of work in 2025, including:
Ongoing work with young people inside Manson Youth Institution, where CTJA facilitates structured sessions to elevate youth perspectives, build civic understanding, and inform policy and oversight conversations
Advocacy for increased funding for diversion and community-based programs, with notable progress in strengthening alternatives to arrest and detention
A compilation of data released throughout 2025 on children involved in Connecticut’s legal system, highlighting both progress and areas of growing strain
The voices of young people in their own words, including Justice Advisor reflections and life maps created by youth inside Manson Youth Institution
Community events and Vision Sessions designed to bring families, experts, and impacted communities into conversations about youth safety, accountability, and opportunity
While overall youth legal system involvement continues to decline, the report also documents persistent challenges, including racial disparities, under-resourced community programs, and strain within custodial and child-serving systems that disrupt education, services, and safety for children.
Looking ahead, CTJA will be active throughout the 2026 legislative session, advocating for funding for proven diversion and community-based programs and for action to address systemic crises within state systems that interact with kids, with the ultimate long-term goal of removing youth from adult prisons and, in the not too distant future, abolishing prison as an option for all young people.
“We know that young people are more likely to get the support they need to learn, grow, and heal closer to home,” said Quaranta. “Community-based programming is more effective and more cost-efficient than imprisoning children, a practice that has repeatedly failed to treat kids humanely or deliver positive outcomes. As state systems continue to falter and kids are exposed to unsafe conditions, prioritizing and funding these programs is urgent.”
The full 2025 Annual Report is available at ctja.org/reports.
