Josh Elliott

For more than 10 years, Connecticut has been a model for criminal justice reform. Connecticut has significantly reduced its number of incarnated people, closed more than 10 prisons and kept the crime rate at its lowest level in more than 40 years. Violent crime decreased 43% from 2012 to 2021, while property crime sank 29% during the same period.

Some of the most prominent reforms to the criminal justice system include repealing the death penalty, raising the age at which juveniles could be charged as adults from 16 to 18 for most crimes, and eliminating some sentencing guidelines that affected predominantly people of color.

While there has been measurable and tangible progress, we can still do more to make Connecticut's criminal justice system fairer. Our antiquated bail system, which keeps too many people incarcerated ahead of trial, is in dire need of an overhaul. We also need increased commutation and parole eligibility, narrowing of racial disparity in the prison population, and more investment in community support, which is a cheaper and effective alternative to incarceration.

While some other states have opened, renovated, or finalized plans to build new prisons, Connecticut is firmly on a reform path, and I am proud to see that continue as I serve on the Judiciary Committee.

For more on Connecticut's criminal justice reforms, please click on the button below to read an in-depth article from Slate.