Shortly after the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice released its recommendations on how to fix the state’s juvenile justice system in May, several individuals — from legislators to court watchers — said time would be one of the biggest roadblocks to implementing change.
There were warnings that the General Assembly would be too preoccupied by budget negotiations and November elections to get much, if anything, done in terms of effecting changes to the juvenile justice system this session. Others cautioned that rule changes to be adopted by the state Supreme Court would be slow in coming because the recommendations required careful analyses and debates.
