Chief
State’s Attorney Kevin J. Kane, in testimony
before the Judiciary Committee Tuesday night, said he supports
enacting a Three Strikes policy for the state of Connecticut.
Responding to a question
from state Senator John A. Kissel, R-Enfield,
as to whether or not he would support a well crafted, narrowly
tailored three strikes law, Attorney Kane said, “yes…
the [three strikes policy] is something we can support and
can use as a tool, provided we have discretion as to when
to use it and when not to use it.” Attorney Kane added
that such a law must be narrowly drawn and the burden should
be on the 13 state’s attorneys to have the training
and responsibility to make sure their discretion is not
abused.
“Chief State’s
Attorney Kane supports a narrowly tailored three strikes
law that gives prosecutors discretion and this and is exactly
what House and Senate Republicans have offered,” said
Sen. Kissel.
Senator Kissel,
who serves as ranking member of the legislature’s
Judiciary Committee and is a co-sponsor of the Senate Republican
Three Strikes proposal, welcomed the support. “Having
the support of the Chief State’s Attorney is an important
step toward enacting an effective three strikes policy for
the state of Connecticut,” said Senator Kissel.
“It is my hope that the Judiciary Committee Chairmen
and ranking members can work in a bipartisan way with the
Chief State’s Attorney and other interested parties
to enact a three strikes law and make other necessary reforms
to improve our criminal sentencing laws and parole processes.”
The three strikes law proposed
by Senate Republicans is designed to effectively incarcerate
dangerous repeat criminals and deter serious violent crime,
without resulting in explosive prison growth. The proposed
law is narrowly tailored, requiring mandatory life imprisonment
for a third felony conviction of only the most serious violent
crimes, including manslaughter, sexual assault, arson, kidnapping
and home invasion.
Senate Republicans have
also proposed the following changes to our criminal sentencing
and parole laws:
• Reclassify
Burglary of a Residence (Home Invasion) as a Violent Crime
to force those who commit this crime to serve 85% of their
jail sentences before applying for parole (under current
law, the majority of these criminals are released after
serving only half of their sentences).
• Strengthen
Connecticut’s Persistent Offender Law by
following the state Supreme Court’s recommendation
to grant juries the power to determine enhanced sentences
on dangerous persistent offenders.
• Require
Serious Criminals to Wear GPS Tracking Devices
on their person at all times as a condition of their release.
• Reform
the Parole System
• Require released offenders to report to their local
police station to be photographed and documented within
one week of their release
• Require transcripts and other information pertaining
to a candidate for parole be provided to Board of Parole
members for review at least three business days prior to
the candidate’s hearing
• Require more information on the court record at
the time of sentencing
• Transfer the Board of Parole from the Department
of Corrections to the Department of Public Safety
• Increase membership on the Board of Parole
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