For the past few years, Connecticut lawmakers and executive branch criminal justice agencies have been focusing efforts on successful community re-entry of people leaving the state’s correctional facilities.

In 2004 and 2005, both major and minor pieces of legislation passed the Connecticut General Assembly to assist these efforts.

A statewide criminal justice policy conference held last January at Central Connecticut State University and sponsored by its Institute for the Study of Crime and Justice (ISCJ) and the Gov. William A. O’Neill Endowed Chair, provided an opportunity to discuss policy options for the 2006 legislative session.

Policymakers looked to the dialogue and presentations occurring during the two-day conference for specific recommendations to further Connecticut’s legislative efforts in the area of prisoner reentry.

New York City-based National H.I.R.E Network’s suggestion for the “Certificates of Employability” legislation, to promote the gainful employment of ex-offenders, presented itself as a worthwhile undertaking.

To plan for the upcoming session, a group of Connecticut legislators, legal aid advocates, agency personnel, and National H.I.R.E and ISCJ staff met to draft initial language for the “Certificates of Employability” legislation.

The main agency involved, Connecticut’s Board of Pardons and Parole, brought their own version of the concept to the table, calling it a Provisional Pardon. Draft language was produced in these sessions,.

When the 2006 state legislative session began in February, Rep. Michael Lawlor – a co-sponsor of the January Conference, Judiciary Committee Chair, and active participant in the aforementioned dialogue – introduced House Bill 5781 AAC Certificates of Employability and Rehabilitation.

After a public hearing, the bill continued through the committee process, passed both the State House of Representatives and State Senate, and was signed into law May 26, 2006, by Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell, within Public Act No. 06-187.

According to the legislative summary, the bill, “allows the board to issue a provisional pardon anytime after sentencing to a person who applies for one or who is under the board's jurisdiction if (1) the person was convicted of a crime in Connecticut or another jurisdiction and resides in the state, (2) the relief in the provisional pardon may promote the public policy of rehabilitating ex-offenders through employment, and (3) the relief in the provisional pardon is consistent with the public's interest in public safety and protecting property.”

Provisional Pardons went into effect on October 1, 2006. The ISCJ intends to work with the National HIRE Network in tracking the effectiveness of the legislation.

The ISCJ is committed to providing state and local leaders the academic resources needed to address these and other criminal justice issues facing our state and communities.

Many expert faculty and student research assistants from CCSU’s Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice provided support to the January conference and subsequent legislative policy-making proceedings.

Crime is a personal and emotionally charged issue. Addressing it in an academic and non-partisan basis creates outcomes that benefit all Connecticut citizens.

Facilitating this process is a role the ISCJ will continue to play.

 
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