[Youth-list] Prison Construction Bill

[JMRab at aol.com]

This bill is important for you to follow. Some time ago, strategic  
communications expert Jim Battaglio urged me to think about a "frame" in which a  young 
child stands in front of two doors. One is a preschool. The other is a  
prison. "What choice do we need to make?" was his question.  Over the  summer, I 
was working on a project with the NGA and was asked what I thought  would be the 
most challenging issue that might divert funds away from early  childhood and 
education investment. Without a moment's hesitation (and before  Cheshire), I 
replied "prison expansion." I am deeply sorry that I might have  been right.  
BTW, the Children's Defense Fund has a new report related to  African 
American men entitled Cradle to Prison....very powerful. 
 
We need to stop filling the prison pipeline. My ten cents. JMG
 
     (http://www.nhregister.com/site/News.cfm?brd=1281)       11/06/2007  
Crime  bill seen costing $500M and 2 new prisons   Brian  McCready , Milford 
Bureau Chief 
A proposal by Democratic lawmakers to  help prevent another tragedy like last 
summer’s home invasion in  Cheshire that resulted in three deaths will cost 
$500 million and  calls for funds to create both a new prison and a mental 
health  prison. 
One of the bill’s authors, Judiciary Committee  Co-Chairman Michael Lawlor, 
D-East Haven, said the entire package,  which also includes funds to expand the 
staff of the Department of  Correction, will spawn "painful, complicated and 
difficult  decisions."

But one prominent Republican lawmaker, state Sen.  Leonard Fasano, R-North 
Haven, said the proposal is a "considerable  step toward making Connecticut 
safer." He added that Lawlor and  Judiciary Committee Co-Chairman Andrew J. 
McDonald, D-Stamford, have  "done a very good job addressing the issues of  concern."

Fasano predicted the state’s lawmakers will spend  whatever it takes to 
safeguard residents.

"Nobody should ever  tell a family that a violent offender was let go because 
we did not  have enough money to keep (him or her) in prison," Fasano  said.

Lawlor said the heart of the proposal is to redefine  exactly what a "home 
invasion is" under the law. Currently, a home  invasion is defined as 
second-degree burglary, which is punishable  by up to 10 years in prison. But Lawlor 
said legislators want to see  a "home invasion" rise to first-degree burglary, 
which is punishable  by up to 20 years, and requires a minimum mandatory 
sentence of five  years.

First-degree burglary is defined as when someone is  hurt or if the suspect 
is armed, but Lawlor said the state has  learned that someone breaking into a 
home without a gun doesn’t mean  no one will be harmed.

In the Cheshire triple homicide in  July, Joshua Komisarjevsky, 27, and 
Steven Hayes, 44, allegedly  broke into the home of Dr. William Petit Jr. and 
killed his wife,  Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their two daughters. The pair also  
allegedly savagely beat Petit, 50, but he escaped as his home was  set on fire.

"Whether or not you have a weapon, if someone  breaks into an occupied home, 
you are much more likely to get hurt,"  Lawlor said. "(Komisarjevsky and 
Hayes) did not have guns but they  (allegedly) killed three people."

Fasano said designating a  home invasion as a violent crime and requiring a 
minimum mandatory  sentence of five years is "very critical." It also requires  
offenders to serve 85 percent of their sentences before being  eligible for 
parole.

Both Komisarjevsky and Hayes were  paroled burglars who met in a Hartford 
halfway house prior to their  release. But what has inspired some of the most 
vocal outrage  following the Petit slayings is that parole officials did not have 
 transcripts and other documents when deciding to release  Komisarjevsky 
early.

That included a judge’s description of  Komisarjevsky when he was sentenced 
to nine years in prison for  breaking into 18 homes between 2001 and 2002, 
while wearing night  vision goggles and latex gloves. Superior Court Judge James  
Bentivegna called Komisarjevsky "a calculated, cold-blooded  predator."

The proposed bill will require a judge to publicly  explain how they decide 
bail amounts set for those  arrested.

"In this case, there was nothing on the record and  there was no 
accountability," Fasano said.

The costs center  on Lawlor and McDonald’s plan to commit $260 million in 
bonding for  the construction of a 1,000-bed medium security prison and a  
1,200-bed medical and mental health prison. The bill calls for the  addition of 200 
residential treatment beds for sex offenders leaving  prison, and 
significantly increasing the staff of the Department of  Corrections.

Lawlor said the prison space is vital because  the prison population has 
spiked by about 1,000 since the Cheshire  homicides. Currently, there are about 
20,000 prisoners in the  state.

While Lawlor said he thought the funds are necessary,  the request will be 
controversial because Gov. M. Jodi Rell will  have to raise the spending and 
bonding cap. Rell, through a  spokesman, declined to comment specifically on the 
proposal but said  she "believes we need to make Connecticut’s laws tougher 
and we need  to continue to crack down on violent offenders — particularly 
repeat  violent offenders."

The bill requires the Office of Adult  Probation to compile a list of all 
outstanding violation of  probation warrants on the Internet, including photos 
and the  offender’s last known address. Additionally, a "SHIELD" electronic  
information system would be created to provide state-of-the-art  communication 
between all criminal justice agencies, including  instant access to police 
reports, pre-sentence investigations and  sentencing transcripts.

Lawlor said if the law passes, people  will be able to access an individual’s 
conviction information  online, including criminal records and police 
reports. He said the  goal is to enact a new law before the beginning of the 2008  
legislative session in February.

There will be a public  hearing on the proposal at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 
the  Legislative Office Building in Hartford, in Room 2E.  

 
(http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/redirect.cfm?ADLOCATION=1&PAG=791&BRD=1281) ©New Haven Register 2007 
 



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