04/15/2026
When Safety Becomes a Coping Mechanism, the System Must Change.
I recently read the CT Mirror report on the alarming "step back" in Connecticut’s juvenile justice programs for girls. The data is a wake-up call: the number of girls in the system has nearly doubled since 2022.
My Insight: We are seeing a 42% increase in runaways because these girls are searching for the safety they can’t find in the current system. When the state decriminalized status offenses years ago, they inadvertently cut the funding for the "access doors" these girls need.
At the Blue Bag Foundation, we aren't just watching this happen—we have a solution.
The Blue Bag Youth Empowerment and Safety Act (BYESA) is designed to meet this crisis head-on by:
Creating proactive support for youth ages 12–24.
Moving away from "compliance" and toward relationship-based mentorship.
Establishing the Anchor Center as a safe, dignity-first alternative to isolation.
We don't need more locks; we need more light. Let’s stop arresting our youth for their survival instincts and start empowering them for their futures.
“Certainly the circumstances of their life thus far, and some of the behaviors … put them at heightened risk for exploitation and victimization, including human trafficking,” said a DCF administrator.
