My background with the CT Department of Corrections dates back to the early 70s. As the first female officer to be hired to work in an all-male inmate correctional facility I feel I am qualified to offer an opinion regarding this debate of H.B. 6738, the Act Concerning Compassionate or Medical Parole…
Many individuals who commit serious crimes, after being found guilty, are then sentenced to prison. This is understandably devastating for even the most hardened of criminals. However it’s their poor choices that put them in that predicament! They have chosen to disregarded their families and their communities!
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If and when a life sentence is imposed, this sentence should be upheld. The time for societal uproar has passed. Law-abiding citizens are tired of being the victims and the ones that are shamed into believing they must turn the other cheek.
Perhaps my opinion is a bit simplistic, but if a Connecticut court or jury deems a convicted felon to be a danger to society and ultimately sentence them to a life sentence, then we as citizens, and including all respective political parties, should honor that decision. Perhaps this will be a first step in making our towns and cities a safer place to live!
Ellen Malave lives in East Haven.