Juvenile Review Board
An Juvenile Review Board or (JRB) is a committee that has been formally designated to review juvenile court cases in the State of Connecticut.[1] There are no laws that dictate how a JRB operates and it is up to each JRB along with police to establish the eligibility guidelines for referral. In Connecticut, there is a point of contact for a JRB in each city and town.[2] The State of Connecticut's Chief Juvenile Prosecutor, Francis Carino, has provided assistance in the development of multiple JRB's.[3] Carino has also presented data tables to express their results.[4]
Advantages of JRB
The advantages of a JRB include; no lawyers, minimal delays, appropriate services are offered to the child and family, entire matter is dealt with at the community level, and the child does not end up with a juvenile record.
Disadvantages of JRB
The disadvantage of a JRB is that a child who is charged with a crime may not be present as the committee agrees on a suitable punishment. Punishments may require that the child perform a specified number of community service hours, attend counseling, participate in a drug/alcohol treatment program, make restitution, apologize to the victim, do research and write a paper on a subject relevant to the incident, or anything else the JRB believes would be helpful.