H.B. 5040, An Act Concerning Adjudication of Certain Young Adults in Juvenile Court and H.B. 5042, An Act Concerning Prosecution of Low-Risk Young Offenders in Adult Court

By raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction from 17 to 20 years old, these bills will help to ensure that our justice system does not permanently penalize young adults for actions they take before they have matured. The ACLU of Connecticut also calls upon the legislature to amend these bills before passage to balance the First Amendment rights of the public and press to access proceedings and information with appropriate safeguards for the privacy rights of the young adults involved in each case. The ACLU of Connecticut urges the legislature to support House Bills 5040 and 5042 if these open access provisions are added.