Gendered racial disparities in Connecticut’s juvenile justice system: applying the integrated model of juvenile justice to reform front-end decision-making

Black and Latine girls remain disproportionately impacted by juvenile justice involvement in the United States, yet their unique experiences are often overlooked in system reform efforts. Drawing on publicly available data from Connecticut’s Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee (JJPOC), this study examined gendered racial disparities in Connecticut’s juvenile justice system from 2019 to 2023. Through descriptive analysis of delinquent referrals, detention admissions, and first-time felony dispositions, we find that despite overall declines in juvenile justice system contact, Black and Latine girls are consistently overrepresented at every decision point. To interpret these disparities and guide reform, we apply the Integrated Model of Juvenile Justice (IMJJ), a framework that incorporates public health, social-ecological, and restorative justice models into a multi-tiered prevention/intervention system (universal, selective, and indicated). Findings highlight systemic failures in trauma-informed, equitable intervention, and underscore the need for stratified, culturally responsive, policy solutions that advance healing-centered justice for girls of color. By offering a state-level analysis of racialized and gendered disparities in Connecticut’s juvenile justice system and demonstrating the applicability of the IMJJ to healing-centered justice reform, this study contributes to policy-relevant scholarship on juvenile justice and equity for girls of color.