Advocates Support Bill to Reduce School-based Arrests

By SHAWN R. BEALS, The Hartford Courant

State legislators will consider a bill in the upcoming General Assembly session aimed at reducing the number of juvenile arrests made at schools.

Juvenile justice advocates and legislators spoke about the bill Thursday at a meeting of the Middlesex Coalition for Children. The bill will require school systems and police departments to reach agreements on appropriate discipline for behavioral issues.

Lara Herscovitch, deputy director of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, said 20 percent of all juvenile arrests originate on school property. She said many of the offenses are minor, including arrests for things such as smoking cigarettes or scuffles, showing the need for in-school discipline rather than arrest.

Read more here: http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-school-arrests-0110-20140109,0,6732918.story