Four months after the brutal murder of the Petit family in Cheshire, Connecticut’s General Assembly continues to debate and dither about strengthening our laws against violent crimes.  The time for talk is done, and the time to take action to protect our families is now.

We know where our criminal justice system failed with respect to the Cheshire murders. Legislators across the political spectrum since then have put a lot of proposals on the table and there seems to be more agreement than disagreement about the types of laws we need to pass.  I am co-sponsoring the introduction of the following legislation, hopefully in a special session in January.

Making Home Invasion a Violent Crime.  First, we need to amend our state laws to treat home invasion as a violent crime. I find it hard to believe that anyone believes that breaking into someone’s home is anything but a violent crime. I have proposed legislation to require that those convicted of home invasion be sentenced to a minimum of five years imprisonment, and required to serve 85 percent of that sentence before becoming eligible for parole (up from current 50 percent).

Increasing Mandatory Sentences for Second Felony Conviction.  We should automatically increase sentences for repeat offenders. I am a believer that everyone deserves a second chance, and a chance for rehabilitation.  But if you commit a second felony, you should have increased sentences.

In Connecticut we currently have a “persistent offender” law that allows a judge to increase a sentence if “extended incarceration would serve the public interest”.  For example, a second-degree burglary which typically carries a 10-year sentence can be increased to up to a 20-year sentence if the criminal has multiple felony convictions.  However this is completely up to a judge, and is very rarely used in Connecticut.

I believe we need to make this increased sentencing mandatory, not optional.  We should automatically increase penalties for career criminals who are convicted on multiple felonies.  Removing persistent offenders from society is the best way to protect our families. 

Implementing Life Sentences for “Three Strikes” Offenders.  Connecticut needs a “three strikes” law where anyone convicted of a third felony would go to prison for life.  First felony offense we will try to rehabilitate you.  Second felony offense we will give you an increased sentence.  Third felony offense we will put you away for life.

The state Department of Corrections estimates that there are roughly 430 individuals on the streets of Connecticut right now who would qualify for prosecution under a “three strikes” law if they were to be charged with a third violent crime.  The threat of life in prison will deter them from committing future crime—and if it does not, they will be removed from society forever.

Some lawmakers have proposed building two new prisons at a cost of over $250 million to increase our capacity.  I am opposed to this expensive solution.  Connecticut’s existing prisons have more than enough space to handle both stricter parole standards and our three strikes law. If additional space ever is needed, Connecticut can consider alternatives such as housing prisoners in other states.

GPS Tracking of Criminals.  Finally, I believe we should use GPS technology to track violent criminals who are out on parole.  We should know where they are at all times to ensure they are not breaking the terms of their parole.  If a parolee knows they are being tracked constantly, they will be much less likely to engage in future crime.  With the cost of GPS coming down rapidly, this should be a realistic solution for many of our criminals out on parole.

The General Assembly should have a special session to pass these laws, not wait under the regular session in February, where I fear that the press of regular business – including making whatever adjustments are needed to our current biennial state budget - will overshadow any debate we might have about criminal justice reform.

The murders of a mother and her two daughters in the relatively low crime suburban neighborhood of Cheshire was a wake-up call. Violent crime can happen anywhere. We all need to take personal precautions to protect our families, but the state should have laws in place that deter home invasion and violent crime—and remove persistent offenders from society forever. The quicker we pass these thoughtful, meaningful, workable state laws, the better for all of our families.

Dan Debicella is the State Senator representing Stratford, Shelton, Monroe, and Seymour.  If you have feedback for him or want to talk about the issues, he can be reached toll-free at (800) 842-1421 or by e-mail at dan.debicella@cga.ct.gov.