Juvenile justice advocates presented Judge William K. Lavery with an award on Thursday, November 1, 2007 for his work to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include 16 and 17 year olds.
Lavery, who recently retired as chief court administrator, was recognized by organizers as a major figure in the "Raise the Age" campaign that persuaded the General Assembly to pass reform legislation last session.
Connecticut is currently one of only three states to send all juveniles over the age of 15 to the adult system, even for minor, non-violent crimes. Beginning in 2010, the age of adulthood will be raised to 18. The exception will be youths who commit A or B felonies. They will continue to be tried as adults.
The legislature formed the Juvenile Jurisdiction Planning and Implementation Committee to study the implications of raising the age of adulthood. Their report cited voluminous research that "adultification" encouraged recidivism and even escalation into more violent crime. They strongly recommended that the state raise the age and establish a strong network of diversion and rehabilitative resources to serve teens.
Lavery was a key member of the committee, tirelessly advocating for mental health services for our state's youth and contributing insights into the logistical challenges of moving thousands of teens to the juvenile system.
He played a critical role in explaining to policy makers that the change was sound.
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