HARTFORD—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement in response to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement of key policy changes at the Department of Justice:

I’m thrilled that Attorney General Holder has refocused the Administration on reforming the way our nation deals with children in our juvenile justice system. We should be ashamed that America locks up more kids than any other nation, and it’s time we radically reorient the way we deal with children who enter our court system. Focusing on alternatives to incarceration and robust mental health and family services is the most humane and cost effective way to deal with kids in our justice system. I've spent my career working on these reforms, and I look forward to introducing legislation this fall in the spirit of the juvenile justice reforms proposed by Attorney General Holder today.

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