HARTFORD — Connecticut’s Office of the Child Advocate has released a report critical of how the state’s criminal justice system confines and incarcerates children.
The report made public Wednesday found the state has a disproportionate number of children of color behind bars.
It also found that children in the system are not getting proper access to education, rehabilitative programs, family therapy or mental health treatment, including suicide prevention.
It found some children deemed security risks were illegally being kept in segregation for months.
The report recommends numerous changes, including standardizing procedures for the use of force or isolation of minors and also recommends that all staff and contractors in the system be mandated to report suspected abuse and neglect.
Several agencies mentioned in the report did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
