On September 1, 1987, a group of children under the age of 16 who were non-delinquent status offenders, filed a class action lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 and the Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act against the State of Connecticut in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. The plaintiffs asked the court for declaratory and injunctive relief, and they alleged that the defendants had violated their rights by unlawfully holding them in secure juvenile detention facilities, despite the fact that they were non-delinquent out-of-state juvenile runaways. The plaintiffs were represented by the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union.

On October 9, 1987, the district court (Judge Alan Nevas) certified the plaintiff class. On February 2, 1988, the court approved a consent decree that had been agreed upon by both sides. Under the terms of the decree, the defendants agreed that they would no longer deliver non-delinquent juvenile runaways to secure juvenile detention facilities. They also agreed that if a member of the plaintiff class was delivered by any party to a secure detention facility, they would pick them up from that facility within 6 hours. They agreed that if a member of the plaintiff class wanted to return to their home state to be with their parent or guardian, but they (and their parent/guardian) lacked the finances to return them to that state, the defendants would file a petition for the child's return under the Interstate Compact on Juveniles.

On July 7, 1988, the court dismissed the case.

Kristen Sagar - 11/18/2008


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