Earlier this week, in response to a direct question from Senator Caligiuri, Speaker Amann publicly committed to calling such a special session in the final minutes of radio station WDRC’s live 2007 State Of Connecticut Debate. Furthermore, Representative Michael Lawlor, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, has gone record as being hopeful that the legislature will hold such a special session in January, following public hearings next month.

In his letter to Senator Williams, Senator Caligiuri wrote: “Given the growing commitment among legislative leaders to hold a special session to enact a three-strikes law and other important criminal justice reforms, and in light of the essential role you will play in deciding whether such a special session will take place, I hereby respectfully request that you formally join House Speaker James Amann in committing to call a special session for this purpose before we convene the regular 2008 Legislative Session in February. Your decision whether to call a special session for this purpose is now the last thing that stands between us and achieving this goal, which the people of Connecticut want, as evidenced by the fact that over 40,000 individuals signed Jessica Ryan’s petition urging the General Assembly to take this action. I know that it would be most heartening to the people of Connecticut to hear publicly from you that you are committed to making this happen.”

Senator Caliguiri noted that Republican legislative leaders wrote letters in July and August asking the Democrat majority to call a special session, and that Democrats in both the House and the Senate last month rejected Republican efforts to amend the call of an existing special session to include considering criminal justice reforms.

“We owe it to the people of Connecticut to take the time to consider judicial reform measures now, while we have the time, before the regular session opens in February and our attention is drawn to the many other pressing issues facing our state. Republicans have already put together a comprehensive legislative package to consider. Our proposals include enacting a strong three-strikes law that mandates life imprisonment for a third serious felony conviction, reclassifying home invasion as a violent crime, and strengthening Connecticut’s persistent offender laws to improve public safety and correct the flaws in the existing law that were identified by the state Supreme Court,”
said Senator Caligiuri.