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

Officials say prison population declines have slowed

  • Justice
  • by Clarice Silber and CTMirror Contributor
  • January 31, 2019
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

The shrinking of the state’s prison population is hitting a slowdown after several years of dramatic declines, while the number of people in pre-trial lockup now form a larger part of the system, according to a new report from the state Office of Policy and Management.

The report, which was presented to the state’s Criminal Justice Policy Advisory Commission (CJPAC) during its meeting Thursday, also found that the prison population will likely decline by about 310 inmates over the coming year, a rate of about 3.2 percent, compared to the roughly 420 prisoners it lost during the same period in the past year.

There has been a 32 percent reduction in the prison population since 2008, when the system held nearly 20,000 inmates. In January, Connecticut’s total prison population was 13,228, which included 9,272 sentenced inmates and 3,401 pre-trial prisoners, among other groups.

Thursday’s CJPAC meeting was the first chaired by Marc Pelka, who has succeeded former Rep. Michael P. Lawlor as the state’s undersecretary for criminal justice.

Until taking the new post, Pelka advised state governments across the U.S. on criminal justice reforms for the Council of State Governments. He was also involved in the organization’s efforts to enact policies aimed at reducing states’ correction costs and lowering recidivism.

Pelka said Connecticut’s work surrounding criminal justice is special because of those who work on the front lines of the system and those who run the agencies.

“And I thought to myself, where could I help support the efforts that are taking place every day across our state to increase public safety, lower victimization, lower recidivism, improve cost effectiveness of … our criminal justice system, and I saw CJPAC as being central to that,” Pelka said.

Ivan Kuzyk, the report’s author and director of OPM’s CT Statistical Analysis Center, said the years of dramatic declines in the prison population are largely over.

“And a lot of the contraction that we had we could do with a large knife, with a machete, and now we’re going to have to find pieces of the system that we can cut out with a scalpel—it’s going to be a lot more difficult to maintain a decline in the prison system,” Kuzyk said.

Over the last decade, that shrinking population was largely attributable to reductions in the sentenced prison population, according to the report, and those declines have increased in recent years. Between July 2016 and July 2018, sentenced inmates accounted for 98.9 percent of the drop in the overall prison population.

The drop in sentenced inmates came amid reforms that started in 2008 and overall declines in reported crimes and arrests after a prior extended period of mass incarceration and mandatory sentencing, Kuzyk said.

The report also found the pre-trial population continues to increase each month, with 250 more of those inmates now than this time last year. Kuzyk said the state will have to start examining ways to mitigate the size of the pre-trial population.

“If you’re drawing all of your contraction in the system from the sentenced population and that piece of the pie is shrinking, it follows reasonably that you’re going to have less contraction just because the bodies aren’t there in … order to continue to see them go,” Kuzyk said.

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

Clarice Silber

CTMirror Contributor

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
CT lawmakers call for funding to stop ‘mass killing’ of Black and brown children
by Kelan Lyons

Lawmakers identified a $5 billion proposal by the Biden administration, and marijuana and sports-betting legalization efforts, as potential funding.

CT’s prison population shrunk during the pandemic. Will it last?
by Kelan Lyons and Kasturi Pananjady

The historic declines coincide with a demand for equity as racial disparities in the incarcerated populate have widened during COVID-19.

Keep youths out of the justice system, or hold them accountable? Judiciary committee advances bills that do both
by Kelan Lyons

Republicans were concerned about a provision in one bill that would erase certain juvenile records.

DCF commissioner says old juvenile detention center could humanely shelter migrant kids
by Mark Pazniokas and Kelan Lyons

Officials say a closed juvenile detention center's history should not rule out repurposing it as a shelter for migrant children.

Gov. Lamont’s cannabis bill passes out of Judiciary Committee, but not without changes
by Kelan Lyons

Revisions allow medical card-holders to grow their own plants and proposes that 55% of revenue go toward social-equity efforts.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion From UHart faculty: All Hawks deserve our support
by Amanda Freeman, Katharine Owens and Rachel Walker

Last week college sports fans in Connecticut were roiled by some startling news. The University of Hartford has been privately considering a move from NCAA Division I to Division III. Grappling with the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University commissioned a “feasibility study” from the consulting company CarrSports. The confidential report concluded that the “current Division I-funding model is not viable and cannot achieve the goal of becoming more self-sustaining.”

Opinion Lessons learned: Education is not enough to combat anti-vaccine propaganda
by Kerri M. Raissian and Jody Terranova

The Connecticut House of Representatives just passed legislation to end the religious exemption for the school vaccination requirement ( HB6423).  The Connecticut state Senate must act quickly to do the same.  If passed, Connecticut would require medically able school children to receive vaccines as recommended by the CDC.

Opinion Biden ought not overuse the term ‘infrastructure’
by Eric W. Kuhn

President Joe Biden's redefinition of the word "bipartisan" is wise, even necessary. Measures that have majority support among regular folks throughout the country-- say, universal background checks for firearms purchases-- have "bipartisan" support because lots of citizens of both major parties approve: that makes sense.

Opinion Please let restaurants and bars recover from the pandemic. Oppose HB 6502
by Robert D’Eliseo and Don Mancini

For the first time in almost a year, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that does not mean we are out of the tunnel yet – and these coming months will be critical for the recovery. That is why this is not the time for the Connecticut General Assembly to push the polystyrene ban (HB 6502) they seem on track toward passing.

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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