As this legislative session comes to an end I am cautiously optimistic that a very important piece of legislation will become law.

SB503 will again address fair juvenile sentencing reform in Connecticut for individuals who committed criminal acts when they were under 26. The importance of this legislation is to address unfinished business relative to legislation passed in 2015 and updated in 2023. Each year ended with a compromise, and so here we are attempting to finish that business so we never have to revisit this policy again.

SB503 will add language to address two problematic points within the current law:

1. It will get rid of the arbitrary Oct 1, 2005, date which led to hundreds of people being ineligible for a possibility of getting before a parole board to be assessed for early release. 

2. It will utilize brain science which states that the part of the brain (pre frontal cortex) is underdeveloped until mid 20’s which is important because the undeveloped part of the brain leads to impulsive behavior, unregulated emotions, poor decision-making, and risk-taking without understanding the long- and short-term consequences of those risks. Peer pressure at this stage can lead to behavior that would not take place had brain development been complete. Boys are more prone to these risky behaviors. Trauma can also delay full brain development .

SB503 will also address an undeniably distinct racial disparity inherent in juvenile justice in Connecticut. Over 85% of those in the juvenile detention are people of color and Connecticut ranks No. 2 in racial disparity among the incarcerated population.

In 2015 and again in 2023 we revisited the issue of fair juvenile justice. Both times we passed compromised legislation . My hope for 2026 is that we will finally complete the task. We know all that is missing is the will of legislators to fight until the job is done, no longer accepting compromised justice.

In this short session, organizers and advocates worked incredibly hard to get this job done. There have been countless community meetings across the state, press conferences, a public hearing where nearly 200 testified in support of SB503, as well as hours spent lobbying and educating legislators.

We left no stone unturned to get this work done in a short session and so we expect nothing less than real justice, uncompromised legislation passed and signed into law by the governor.

There is nothing  more we can do to convince legislators to do what is right and just. It’s about leading with integrity and courage.  Anything less is unacceptable.

Barbara Fair lives in West Haven and is a member of Stop Solitary CT.