"Everyone deserves a second chance. You should not let one mistake ruin a young man's life."

Second chance? Sure. Third chance? Maybe? But a fourth and a fifth? A thirteenth? A　 fortieth?

Yes, you read that right — a fortieth chance! According to the New Britain chief of police that was the number of times a 17-year-old had been arrested when he was apprehended for his latest crime, a car theft. His existing record didn't consist solely of minor crimes, either. They included offenses like theft of a firearm and assault.

Towns and cities throughout the state are enduring the continuing failure of our "reformed" juvenile justice system — courtesy of our Democrat-controlled legislature, which rammed through these "protections" for young criminals and doubled down on the injustice already inflicted on their victims. Even the worst offenders are repeatedly released, with results that are escalating from dangerous to tragic. A jogger in New Britain was killed recently by a teenaged car thief who already had 13 prior arrests. A number of cars containing young children have been stolen by teenagers, and a Glastonbury woman who confronted a juvenile car thief reported being shot at. Cars were stolen in Wolcott after the young thieves had ransacked the local senior center.

Now, this epidemic has spread to Niantic, where early Monday morning our local police were called to a home where the resident reported a car theft. When police arrived, two cars parked on Black Point Road sped off. One of those cars, which had been stolen in Guilford, crashed on Pennsylvania Avenue. A 16-year-old from New Haven was subsequently arrested. By the grace of God, no one was killed or injured in the accident, but the outcome could be worse next time. Current trends indicate that there　will be a next time, and many more next times after that if we don't move quickly and forcefully to correct this.

There are those who tell us that these young criminals are merely victims of circumstance. Yes, they probably do come from troubled backgrounds — broken families, sporadic schooling, a lack of stability. Why is it, though, while describing these young offenders as victims, our Democratic friends ignore the true victims — those on the short end of this ongoing juvenile crime spree who are paying the greater price? Surely, they deserve our sympathy and protection, and should not be blamed. Leaving their vehicles unlocked doesn't excuse the crime. Since when do criminals merit more protection than the victims of their crimes?

These young offenders do become victims, however, because the state has failed to deal with them appropriately. The closure in 2018 of the Southbury Training Center without adequate replacement, the inability of judges and police to access their prior record of offenses and, most tellingly, the lack of consequences after the juveniles offend over and over again practically guarantees these young offenders won't turn their lives around. Even The Day has acknowledged the problem in its July 10th editorial, and the validity of my party's calls for immediate and needed reform.

Democrats claim my party cares only because this epidemic outrages our suburban constituents. Really? Tell that to the grieving family of the 71-year-old Hartford grandmother who was run down by a 16-year-old leaving the scene of his crime.

All residents are at risk as fleeing young criminals speed through our streets in stolen cars and tragedies result, as occurred in New Britain. It is time to stop this curable scourge before more innocent lives are lost. Deal with repeat offenders seriously, as their real and demonstrated danger to society demands. Properly fund rehabilitative programs, of course, but give police and the judicial system the tools they need to catch, adjudicate and punish these serial criminals before more innocent victims pay the steep price.

Holly Cheeseman, a Republican, represents East Lyme and Salem in the General Assembly.