Groups want to stop teens from being tried as adults

By CARA RUBINSKY
Associated Press Writer

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Though Christopher Wasicki of Stamford was just 16 when he was arrested for assault, the court system considered him an adult.

His mother, Johnna Paradis, said he wasn't able to get the mental health services he needed at Manson Youth Institute, a prison for 14- to 21-year-olds. He also knew a fellow inmate who committed suicide.

"He saw things he shouldn't have seen," Paradis said. "He was exposed to things he shouldn't have been exposed to."

Connecticut, New York and North Carolina are the only states that treat 16- and 17-year-olds as adults rather than juveniles in court, and Paradis is part of a group called Raise the Age CT that will be at the Capitol Tuesday to push for change.

A law passed last year allows judges to treat most teens as youthful offenders. That means their criminal records will be wiped clean if they complete their sentences.

Abby Anderson, senior policy analyst for Raise the Age CT, said the bill was a good start but doesn't go far enough.

"It was a great first step, but it still keeps kids in the adult system," she said. "You end up with a whole bunch of kids that are still young enough to change their behaviors that don't get those services and don't get the chance to rehabilitate."

She said her group will push legislation this session that would treat 16- and 17-year-olds as juveniles but allow a judge to transfer a case to adult court if the crime is particularly heinous.

"We're looking to change the default mechanism," Anderson said. "Right now the default an adult and there's no way to be a juvenile. We want the default to be a juvenile with a way to be an adult."

In 2004, judicial experts examined the feasibility of changing Connecticut's age limit and decided a spike in population would overwhelm the juvenile system.

But advocates say that 16- and 17-year-olds handled in the adult court system commit suicide more often and are more likely to get in trouble again.

Judge William J. Lavery, chief court administrator, said he plans to ask for resources to set up mental health and gender-specific treatment programs for 16- and 17-year-olds similar to those available in the juvenile system.

That way, he said, they'll get help they need to become productive members of society and the courts will be ready if legislators decide to move them into the juvenile system.

"Now what we want to do is implement some programs that will really affect their lives," Lavery said.

Paradis said it was exhausting trying to advocate for her son after he ended up in the adult court system.

"In juvenile facilities, they tried to scramble to get things done for the child. There was more of a concern," she said. "He lost out on a lot when he was in the adult facility. He's been damaged."

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