Legislative Priorities

The Connecticut Justice Alliance is a nonprofit organization that aims to abolish the racist foundation of the legal system in order to end the criminalization of youth. One of the ways it pursues this goal is by setting legislative goals every year. These goals are set after receiving feedback from Justice Advisors, community members, and Steering Committee members about issues that must be addressed with legislation. There are several reasons why the Connecticut Justice Alliance does this. Firstly, setting legislative goals helps to focus its advocacy efforts. By identifying specific policies or laws that it wants to see changed, CTJA can direct its energy and resources towards achieving those goals. This can help to make its advocacy efforts more effective, as it is easier to build support around a specific issue than a broad, general call for change.

Secondly, setting legislative goals allows the Connecticut Justice Alliance to be proactive in its approach to address the root causes of youth behavior and crime. By identifying policies or laws that it wants to see changed in advance of the legislative session, CTJA can begin building relationships with legislators, community groups, and other stakeholders to advance its agenda. This helps to create momentum and awareness around its advocacy efforts and increase the chances of success.

Finally, setting legislative goals allows the Connecticut Justice Alliance to hold lawmakers accountable. By publicly stating its legislative goals, CTJA can create a benchmark for evaluating the performance of legislators on legal system issues. This helps to build pressure on lawmakers to support CTJA’s goals and helps to galvanize public support for changes to the legal system. Overall, setting legislative goals is a crucial tool for the Connecticut Justice Alliance as it works to end the criminalization of youth.