Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

House passes bail reform compromise with bipartisan support

  • Justice
  • by Kyle Constable
  • June 3, 2017
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Kyle Constable :: CTMirror.org

Rep. William Tong debates the bail reform package on the House floor Saturday.

The House of Representatives voted 88-62 Saturday to approve and send to the Senate a compromise bail reform package backed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the Connecticut Sentencing Commission.

The bill would be a step toward limiting the number of defendants who are jailed awaiting trial because of their inability to afford a relatively modest bail or the services of a bail agent, but it falls short of the governor’s goal of eliminating the need for a for-profit bail industry in Connecticut.

The House’s approval of the legislation came almost exactly one year after it declined to vote on a similar bail reform package during the last legislative session.

The compromise package – which has the backing of both the left-leaning American Civil Liberties Union and right-leaning Yankee Institute for Public Policy – makes several changes to bail practices. Those include:

  • Barring judges from setting cash-only bails.
  • Restricting judges from setting bail for misdemeanors in most circumstances. They retain the discretion to impose bail for defendants with a record of not appearing in court or who are judged to be flight risks.
  • Accelerating bail redetermination hearings in misdemeanor cases.
  • Authorizing a study sought by the bail industry on the practicality of imposing a surcharge on bond agents’ clients to help indigent defendants.

The bill’s language was included in both the Democratic and Republican budget proposals unveiled earlier in the session. The package is projected to save the state $30 million over the next two fiscal years.

Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, co-chair of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, said between 350 and 400 people currently are incarcerated in Connecticut because they could not post bail.

Tong said the legislation ensures “people aren’t held, detained in our jails and in our prisons, for low-level misdemeanor, non-violent offenses simply because they can’t afford” bail.

“The purpose is not to let people out of jail,” he said.

Rep. Rosa Rebimbas, R-Naugatuck, said she felt confident judges still would require bail in misdemeanor cases that warrant it, despite concerns from some of her fellow Republicans they would not. She said the bipartisan process of crafting the package made her decision to support the final version much less difficult.

Kyle Constable :: CTMirror.org

Rep. Rosa Rebimbas, R-Naugatuck, left, talks with Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, during the House debate on bail reform Saturday.

The bill was backed by 77 Democrats and 11 Republicans. Two of the House’s most conservative Democrats – John K. Hampton of Simsbury and Pat Boyd of Pomfret – voted against it.

Malloy called the bill “an important next step in creating a fairer and more equitable criminal justice system” and praised its passage.

“Across the country, courts are ruling the current system of bail is unconstitutional,” Malloy said. “This legislation brings us into compliance with those rulings. The fact is that there are hundreds of individuals currently locked up in Connecticut jails, not because they are [a] threat to society, but simply because they are poor. And being poor should never be a crime.”

Some legislators voiced concern that the bill would jeopardize public safety, which dominated much of the House debate.

“I believe that it constitutes a danger to the public,” said Rep. David Labriola, R-Oxford. “It interferes with the judge’s discretion by making a judge articulate the specific reasons why bond is set on all misdemeanors. It constitutes an impediment to setting of bond. It will result in more defendants being released.”

Rep. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, said the bill “sends the message” that judges should not require bonds for misdemeanors.

Still, the bill garnered nearly a dozen Republican votes. Rep. Terri Wood, R-Darien, said it was a matter of “social justice” and the “right thing to do.”

“It is patently unfair that someone who has the means to pay their bail can get out and someone who can’t, can’t get out,” Wood said. “Granted, they’ve done something wrong, but it’s a very defined area of what they’ve done wrong. These are people who are not going to be dangerous to other people.”

Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Pazniokas contributed to this story.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kyle Constable Kyle was a general assignment reporter at the Connecticut Mirror. A former State Capitol beat writer for The Daily Campus, he graduated from UConn with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2017. He previously worked for the Mirror as a freelance reporter and, before that, was the Mirror's 2016 summer reporting fellow and an intern during the 2016 legislative session.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
What we’ve lost, what we’ve learned during our year of COVID
by CT Mirror Staff

On March 6, 2020, Gov. Ned Lamont announced that the first case of COVID-19 had been detected in Connecticut, and within weeks, life as we knew it was a memory. Schools were shut down, universities emptied, businesses shuttered. Those of us who were fortunate enough to be able to work from home set up shop at our […]

Few tenants facing eviction have an attorney. Top lawmakers are poised to change that.
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

Legislation that would provide tenants facing eviction the "right to counsel" is a top priority for legislative leaders.

Equity issues dominate hearing on Lamont’s marijuana bill
by Kelan Lyons and Mark Pazniokas

The administration's testimony took up the hearing's first five hours. More than 130 people are signed up to speak.

Three weeks into COVID-19 vaccinations, DOC has vaccinated 10% of inmates, 40% of staff
by Kelan Lyons

Fewer than 850 incarcerated people had been vaccinated as of Feb. 22.

Judiciary Committee hears testimony on changes to last summer’s police accountably bill
by Kelan Lyons

One police chief said they need more time to train officers on new use-of-force rules.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Right to counsel is just as much a racial justice issue as a housing policy issue
by Pearson Caldwell

Despite the state and federal moratoriums on eviction, nearly 3,000 Connecticut families have faced eviction in the past 10 months. Over half of these families were Black or Latinx, even though these groups combined comprise less than a quarter of the overall population. The stop-gap measures pursued by the state are not enough. Connecticut needs a statewide right to counsel for tenants facing eviction to address the burning housing and racial justice crisis across the state.

Opinion We need justice, not politics
by Richard J. Colangelo Jr. and 13 State's Attorneys

The administration of justice should not be political. Prosecutors must be guided by the evidence in a case and the applicable law, not by partisan, political considerations. Political pressure should never sway a prosecutor’s decision-making.

Opinion Assisted suicide lobby spreads falsehoods to promote systemic ableism
by Stephen Mendelsohn

Proponents of assisted suicide repeatedly spread falsehoods to promote their lethal and ableist agenda.  The February 8 op-ed, “Aid in dying is not assisted suicide” is no exception. Suicide is defined as the act of taking one’s life intentionally.  The person who intentionally ingests a prescribed lethal overdose more closely fits the dictionary definition of suicide than the despondent person who jumps off a bridge.  The desire for suicide is a cry for help, even when redefined as a “medical treatment option.”

Opinion TCI will create a fourth gasoline tax
by Christian A. Herb

The Transportation Climate Initiative, or TCI, calls for a proposed emissions fee on gasoline to help battle climate change. On the surface, supporters say it is a small price to pay to help save the planet; and if you truly believe that this is the case, then you should consider voting for it. Despite the administration’s efforts to go out of their way to not call TCI a tax, the simple truth is that it will only create additional financial hardships on lower- and middle-income families struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO