Our Origins
The Origins of The Justice Education Center’s Policy and Programming Initiatives
Since its inception, The Justice Education Center, Inc. has been dedicated to policymaker and public education in justice reform. This commitment has manifested itself in a number of statewide campaigns, including two documentaries on the role of incarceration and community-based sanctions in justice policy, a live 90 minute special on child sexual abuse, an incarceration simulation for Connecticut General Assembly members at the Old Haddam Jail, and a series of seminars for electronic and print media on key criminal justice topics in partnership with the Connecticut Humanities Council, among other initiatives.
Goals
- Engage children, youth and young adults in positive youth development activities with an emphasis on sports, wellness and resiliency
- Develop innovative learning programs to introduce children to new experiences including farming, arts, music, and culinary arts
- Create internships for college-bound high school juniors and seniors
- Introduce rising 6th and 7th graders to a range of technologies through summer exploratory programs
- Provide at-risk or justice-involved youth and adults with mental health, education and pre-apprenticeship career training opportunities
- Collaborate with law enforcement and community leaders to develop innovative prevention programs for those who are at-risk of committing or becoming victims of violence
Programming
The Justice Education Center has contributed to numerous reforms in Connecticut, starting with the development of the Department of Correction’s first statewide advocacy coalition and network of intervention services in 1976. This public/private partnership was created by the late Commissioner John Manson and Deputy Commissioner Lawrence Albert.
In 1987, under the leadership of Chief Justice Ellen Peters, The Center staffed the Criminal Sanctions Task Force which developed a vision for sentencing reform and the expansion of community-based sentencing options. Justice Peters’ vision served as the foundation for the statewide network of juvenile and adult community-based sanctions still in place today.
In the 1990s, working with the first Director of the Judicial Branch’s Court Support Services Division, William Carbone, The Center helped to design and study the impact of Connecticut’s nationally-recognized system of services and supervision for juvenile and adults.
In the early 2000s, The Justice Education Center staffed several State commissions addressing juvenile justice and racial and ethnic disparity reform.
Training
Nationally, The Justice Education Center’s Executive Director served as advisor and planner with the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Corrections, providing training to justice professionals in constituency-building, marketing, media relations and community outreach. In Connecticut, numerous statewide trainings have been held that focus on prevention and intervention policies and programming for juveniles and young adults.
Policymaker and Public Education
Throughout its history, The Justice Education Center has created numerous education and outreach campaigns, among them: two documentaries on the role of community-based sanctions in justice policy reform hosted by the late Raymond Burr; a live 90 minute special on child sexual abuse; an incarceration simulation experience for Connecticut General Assembly members at the Old Haddam Jail; and, a series of seminars for electronic and print media on key criminal justice reporting issues in partnership with the Connecticut Humanities Council and hosted by the late Fred Friendly, retired president of CBS News.
In 2019, The Justice Education Center developed a strategic action investment plan with the assistance of national, state and community leaders. Elements of that plan are being implemented in Connecticut.
The Justice Education Center and the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut have collaborated on initiatives to reduce violence and curb juvenile crime. Entitled Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Department of Justice program is focused primarily on youth ages 14 -17 and enhancing community safety. The Center serves as the fiscal representative and grants manager for PSN.
Project Safe Neighborhoods 2014
The Connecticut Project Safe Neighborhood Youth Opportunity Initiative called in over 200 youth in Bridgeport and New Haven beginning in October of 2015. Of these approximately 200 youth that participated in call-ins, 133 were enrolled in the Career Pathways program, a program that provided educational remediation and vocational training after school at Vocational Technical High Schools in Bridgeport and New Haven.
- Of these 133 enrolled in Career Pathways programming,
- 94 (70.6%) received credits toward graduation.
- 56 (42.1%) received OSHA 10 certification
- 35 (26.3%) received CPR certification
- 28 (21.0%) graduated from HS (many were not yet ready to graduate)
Project Safe Neighborhoods 2016
One hundred and forty-five (145) youth were recruited to take part in a PSN intervention designed to warn about the dangers of violent crime and gun possession, and provide subsequent services. On enrollment, 29 participants (20%) had justice involvement prior to enrolling in the program. Following the PSN intervention, the total number of youth with justice involvement since enrollment decreased to 11 participants (7.6%). A McNemar’s test determined that the difference in the proportion of justice involved youth pre- and post-intervention was statistically significant (p < .01). Although these figures do not control for time at risk in the pre- and post-intervention periods (as well as other possible confounding factors), they suggest that participating youth benefited from the PSN 2016 intervention.
In addition, arrest and adjudication figures in the 6 and 12-month time periods are relatively low, considering PSN youth typically are higher risk and need than the Connecticut youth population.
It is our hope that our past programming, policy and education efforts will continue to inform and strengthen The Center’s ongoing work to steadily improve Connecticut’s system of justice and the communities it serves.