McCrory Celebrates Signing of Justice Reform Laws Package
Standing in the sanctuary of the nearly 200-year-old Faith Congregational Church on Main Street in Hartford , state Senator Doug McCrory (D-Hartford) today joined religious, civic and political leaders from around Connecticut to celebrate the ceremonial signing of a package of new state laws designed to afford greater rights, responsibilities and opportunities to Connecticut citizens who have been accused of crimes, or who have been convicted of crimes, served their time, and are now on the path to personal recovery and redemption.
Sen. McCrory not only voted for each of these bills as a member of the state Senate, he also voted for many of these new laws as a member of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee.
“All of these new laws have one thing in common: they are all about giving people who have made a mistake a second chance at doing right, at doing good, at making something of themselves,” Sen. McCrory said. “We as a nation are supposed to be about forgiveness. We as a people are supposed to be about forgiveness. Not just forgiveness for minor transgressions, like a harsh word or a scratched bumper on a car or a baseball through a pane glass window. We are morally required to allow people to make bad decisions, and then pay their dues to society and move forward, to start anew and to get a second chance at life. And that’s what this package of new laws does, in so many ways. And I voted for every single one of these new laws because I want people to move forward and be successful, and to have that chance at success.”
The nine bills included in today’s justice reforms package include:
- HB 7044, An Act Concerning Pretrial Justice Reform, changes pretrial detention rules for people accused of certain crimes. For example, the new law severely limits courts from imposing bail on people accused of simple misdemeanors, except for family violence crimes. The new law also shortens the amount of time people spend in pre-trial detention without getting a bail review hearing. This new law does NOT apply to people accused of committing the most serious Class A, B and C felonies (like murder, rape, robbery and arson), and many Class D felonies.
- SB 963, An Act Concerning Educational And Environmental Issues Relating To Manufacturing, establishes a task force to develop a program to train inmates for jobs in manufacturing.
- SB 1022, An Act Establishing A Pilot Program To Provide Enhanced Community Services To Those In The Criminal Justice System, requires the chief state’s attorney to establish a pilot program to identify and track homeless, addicted, or mentally ill people entering prison, to track them for intensive assistance, and to refer them to diversion programs, counseling, treatment, housing assistance, and other programs to help stabilize them and prevent future arrests.
- HB 5764, An Act Concerning the Licensing of Barbers and Hairdressers, exempts barbers, hairdressers, and cosmeticians from having to submit to a state or national criminal history background record checks in order to get a state barber license.
- HB 6219, An Act Concerning Community Reentry By Persons Who Were Incarcerated, asks the state Commission on Equity and Opportunity to study ways to provide jobs for people recently released from prison, and to consider tax incentives for companies that hire them.
- HB 7131, An Act Expediting Child Support Modification Orders For Incarcerated Or Institutionalized Obligors, streamlines the child support modification process when a person who owes child support is in prison for more than 90 days.
- HB 7146, An Act Requiring a Criminal Conviction For Certain Offenses Before Assets Seized in a Lawful Arrest Or Lawful Search May Be Forfeited in a Civil Proceeding, changes the existing laws regarding civil forfeiture of personal property that is seized in connection with certain investigations, such as drug sales, money laundering, identity theft, sexual exploitation, prostitution, and human trafficking. Under the new law, any personal property seized during a search related to these crimes can only be subject to forfeiture if the person is actually arrested. The law does NOT change the state’s ability to seize personal property if it meets its burden of proof in court.
- HB 7284, An Act Concerning State Identification for Inmates Upon Reentry, requires the state DMV and DOC to ensure that an inmate has a state identification card or a driver’s license at the time they are released from prison, IF the former inmate qualifies for the card or license and IF they pay for it.
- HB 7302, An Act Concerning Isolated Confinement And Correctional Staff Training And Wellness, prohibits the DOC from holding any inmate under age 18 in solitary confinement, which is also known as “administrative segregation status.”
