Mike Lawlor Mike Lawlor has three goals for criminal justice reform in Connecticut: Reduce crime. Reduce spending. And restore the public’s confidence in the system. From his vantage point as a professional criminal justice reformer, Connecticut is well on its way to achieving all three. Lawlor, who has served as the state’s under secretary for criminal […]
Lawlor sees progress in prison reform
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Eliminating transcripts draws the shades on government a little more
Continuing their effort to draw the shade over the window of government accountability and transparency, General Assembly leaders have abandoned the longstanding practice of routinely transcribing the testimony presented at hundreds of public hearings held during legislative sessions. The decision, made without the benefit of public input, marks the latest setback for Connecticut’s 43-year-old Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which was once the strongest in the nation and a model emulated by other states and countries.
Posted inEducation
Parents oppose greater oversight of their home-schooled kids
Connecticut home-school advocates and parents on Wednesday called an ongoing Office of the Child Advocate investigation into home education discriminatory and an invasion of privacy. The OCA opened the investigation after an autistic home-schooled child died of neglect.
Posted inPolitics
CT Dems trying to help Hispanics assert political clout
WASHINGTON – The growth of Connecticut’s Latino community is increasing its clout at the ballot box and fostered the ambitions of Milagros Acosta and other Hispanics to pursue a career in politics. “Everything is possible,” said Acosta, who emigrated from Peru when she was 22 years old.
Posted inEducation, Money
Proposed CSCU budget would tap reserves to avert another tuition hike
A key panel within Connecticut’s consolidated higher education system endorsed the framework for a new budget Wednesday that maintains the tuition schedule but would reduce dangerously low emergency reserves.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Blaming the unions is a convenient distraction. Don’t fall for it.
I am a proud union member from a union family, and a lifetime member of the United Auto Workers union. In the mid- to late 80s I remember walking picket lines with my father and the union workers at Colt Firearms as they endured one of the longest strikes in Connecticut history. Today we are still reaping the benefits of the sacrifices that were made by so many union members willing to stand together united for a just cause.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
As the Ruling Class degenerates, America’s only recourse is …
Every society has a Ruling Class. In the United States, it is the super wealthy and those with Ivy League educations – especially those with degrees from Harvard or Yale. The leaders of our bureaucracies, major newspapers, opinion journals, think tanks, courts, corporations, universities, media conglomerates and political class come from one of these two groups – or ambitious individuals who have ingratiated themselves with these groups. This was not necessarily a bad thing, as long as our Ruling Class was competent.
Posted inJustice
High court’s cake shop discrimination case ruling will have little impact here
The Supreme Court’s decision Monday in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a custom wedding cake for a gay couple will have relatively little impact in Connecticut, local observers say.
Posted inJustice
Blumenthal v Trump to get its day in court
Washington – A federal court will hear a case this week spearheaded by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and joined by dozens of congressional Democrats that says President Donald Trump has violated the U.S. Constitution by failing to seek and obtain the consent of Congress before accepting benefits from foreign states. “The argument on Thursday will put to the test the argument that no one is above the law,” Blumenthal said.
Posted inPolitics
Ned Lamont goes to school, gets political lesson
On a day when Ned Lamont toured a public school preparing to talk about education funding, he got an awkward lesson about what how easily a candidate can be jostled off message — especially when faced by an unconventional and aggressive rival, Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim.
Posted inMoney
Malloy veto of education funding bill likely will stand
Legislative leaders are leaning against attempting to override Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s latest veto. The reason: they included what effectively amounts to duplicate language in a second bill the governor already has signed.
Posted inEducation
DeVos tells Murphy she doesn’t think schools can call ICE on students
WASHINGTON – Under questioning by Sen. Chris Murphy on Tuesday, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reversed herself on whether a school can call Immigration and Customs Enforcement on students believed to be undocumented. “I don’t think they can,” she said.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Kids in the juvenile justice system have fallen through budget cracks
In the last minutes of the 2018 legislative session, we got a state budget. Legislators showed commitment and determination in reaching a bi-partisan agreement. The dust hasn’t cleared yet — there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding what got funded and what didn’t. It is all too evident, however, that even dust-settling won’t clear away a fundamental reality. Children have fallen through system cracks due to a failure to plan and budget appropriately to meet the behavioral health needs of children in and at risk for being in the juvenile justice system.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Let’s make Connecticut’s attorney general part of the solution
Connecticut’s Office of Attorney General should model integrity, fairness, and inspire respect for the law. Our courts, the judicial process, and law enforcement officials are vital. They need a strong advocate. Incredibly, a Republican has not won the Office of Attorney General in Connecticut since 1954! But this year, change is critical to restore our state’s economic competitiveness. And that requires a new brand of leadership from the attorney general.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Resolved: That the CSCU system needs a better plan
In its April 24, 2018 decision letter, the New England Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (hereinafter Commission), noted that it was not persuaded that the planning for the new Community College of Connecticut, as advanced by the Students First plan, was realistic. We acknowledge President Mark Ojakian for continually asserting the need to institute system-wide changes for the betterment of the student body. Yet, faculty has been intentionally excluded from meaningful participation and genuine involvement and engagement. Moreover, we agree with the Commission and believe the accelerated process for planning/implementation was insufficient and will cause disruption to our students.