Senate Leadership
November 7, 2007
Williams, Gaffey Note Public’s Lack of Confidence in State Parole System
New Quinnipiac University poll shows 60 percent of public lacks confidence
Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) and Sen. Thomas P. Gaffey (D-Meriden) today noted that a new Quinnipiac University poll shows that 60 percent of Connecticut residents have "less confidence" in the state's parole system since the heinous triple murders of the Petit family in Cheshire in July.
It was those murders that prompted Sens. Williams and Gaffey to propose in early September a remaking of the state Board of Pardons and Parole and other, far-ranging changes to the state parole system.
Those changes (see below) are now in draft legislation and will be considered when the Judiciary Committee holds a public hearing on a variety of criminal justice reform measures at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, November 27.
"Today's poll is confirmation that the public understands we have problems with our existing parole system, and that it's more important than ever that we move forward in the next session with changes to strengthen that system," Sen. Williams said.
"Results of the latest Q-poll released today suggest widespread support for the type of reforms we outlined in which each case receives greater scrutiny and all members of the Board of Pardons and Parole receive all pertinent and necessary information to make informed decisions about granting pardon or parole," Sen. Gaffey said. "Furthermore, I think our insistence upon higher standards for Board members will help mitigate the no confidence factor reflected in the poll; criminal justice experts, mental health and psychiatric professionals, and others of that professional caliber would be best prepared to make these calls."
The new legislation as proposed by Sens. Williams and Gaffey calls for the appointment of a full-time professional Board of Pardons and Paroles, restricting the use of reentry furloughs, and providing inmate files to board members at least one week before a hearing or meeting to consider the suitability of an inmate for parole release.
Specifically, the proposed legislation requires that:
- The terms of the existing members of the Board of Pardons and Parole expire on December 31, 2007, and that any Board member appointed after January 1, 2008 shall be qualified by experience in the evaluation or supervision of offenders, the provision of mental health or other services to offenders, criminal justice or criminology.
- Board members shall be full-time.
- No panel of the Board of Pardons and Paroles shall hold a hearing to determine the suitability for parole release of any person or hold a meeting to consider the recommendation of an employee of the board to grant parole to a person unless the members of the panel have reviewed the complete file on such person including, but not limited to, a transcript of any sentencing hearing required to be delivered to the board, a copy of any pre-sentence investigation report prepared, and such person's criminal record required to be sent to the Board. The Board shall provide each member of such panel with such complete file not later than seven business days prior to the date scheduled for such hearing or meeting.
- A reentry furlough may be granted only to inmates who have demonstrated good conduct and obedience to the rules of the institution or facility while confined, have a low-level security risk classification and are not confined for conviction of an offense involving the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against another person. Any inmate who was sentenced to a period of probation shall be subject, at a minimum, to the same conditions and supervision while released on a reentry furlough as such inmate would be subject to while released on probation. No reentry furlough may be granted solely for the purpose of reducing the population of an institution or facility. Any inmate who fails to return from furlough as provided in the furlough agreement shall be guilty of the crime of escape in the first degree. For the purposes of this section, "reentry furlough" means a furlough granted for the purpose of reintegrating an inmate into the community that allows such inmate to serve the period immediately preceding such inmate's parole release or discharge date in the community.
"The days of an amateur, part-time board are over. We need a full-time board with a higher level of expertise to properly adjudicate these cases," Sen. Williams said. "There should also be no excuse for not having all the required information in each inmate file so that a fully informed decision can be made each and every time."
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Senator Looney’s Larry Cook |
