Dannel P. Malloy is a socially progressive Democratic governor trying to make prison a place for second chances. Scott Semple is a Republican who came of age as a correction official when the primary mission of U.S. prisons was to punish. Together, they are trying to remake criminal justice in Connecticut.
Second Chance Society
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Secret trials for CT 20-somethings would be unconstitutional
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the General Assembly are to be commended for their 2015 “Second Chance Society” legislation, reversing racist laws that filled our jails with nonviolent drug users, most of them African-American and Latino. But it is ill-advised to pursue announced policies emanating from that corrective action; especially plans for secret trials of defendants in their early 20s.
Posted inJustice
Malloy goes extra mile to thank, challenge these vets
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy thanked his audience of veterans for their service in the preservation of liberty. Malloy caught himself and said, “That sounds a little weird, talking about freedom in a facility like this.” Some of the men nodded. A few smiled. All were prison inmates.
Posted inEvents
Two weeks until The Mirror’s ‘Small State, Big Debate: Race’ event
Two weeks remain until The Connecticut Mirror’s annual event, “Small State, Big Debate: Race” on Oct. 6 at Fairfield University. The full event will feature New York Times columnist Charles Blow as the keynote speaker and also includes sessions on criminal justice with discussions on the governor’s “second-chance society” and policy research.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Does closing job centers set back Malloy’s 2nd chance initiative?
While Gov. Dannel P. Malloy recently dismissed speculation that the closures would weaken his comprehensive Second Chance Society program, others – including a top lawmaker on both budget and juvenile justice issues – aren’t so sure the administration isn’t working against itself.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut should give ex-cons a better break
Many ex-convicts who get out of prison end up in Hartford on our streets. According to a Pew Center on the States study, almost half of ex-cons soon end up back in jail for committing crime because it is sometimes their only way to pay their bills. I work as a chaplain at a prison in Connecticut and many convicts, including military veterans, approach and complain to me that they have no future outside of those walls since a lot of them went to prison while they were young, didn’t have education, and worst of all, have a criminal record that will follow them around. I believe that a person who committed a non-violent crime and served a punishment for it should be given a second chance.
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut joins national trend on sentencing reforms
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy joined some of the nation’s most conservative governors Thursday by signing legislation intended to lower incarceration rates for non-violent crime, a reversal of the get-tough-on-crime trend that produced an explosion in prison populations.
Posted inPolitics
Legislators approve ‘Second Chance,’ body camera bills
The Connecticut House and Senate voted in quick succession Monday to adopt two major criminal justice bills intended to increase police accountability, end racially disparate sentencing and lower incarceration rates for non-violent crimes.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Legislature to return Monday for concessions to business
The legislature and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy would sacrifice pieces of their biggest initiatives – property tax reform and transportation, respectively – to help roll back about 10 percent of the tax hikes in the new state budget, sources from the House and Senate Democratic caucuses said Friday. Legislators return Monday for what they hope will be a one-day special session.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut’s children deserve a second chance, too
The Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown. During its special session, the legislature will consider the governor’s Second Chance proposal, which aims to make sure that a minor criminal offense does not forever bar a person from success. Policymakers should take the opportunity of the special session to extend second chances to children as well. […]
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Malloy’s criminal justice reform agenda deserves support
Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposal for reforms to Connecticut’s criminal justice system deserves widespread support in the General Assembly. There is no doubt there is room for improvement when it comes to how Connecticut deals with sentencing, its prison population, parole and probation.
Posted inPolitics
A second chance for ‘Second Chance’ in special session
The General Assembly called itself into special session Wednesday to adopt bills necessary to implement the budget and one of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s top priorities, a bill carrying a name that officially turned ironic at the stroke of midnight: An Act Concerning a Second Chance Society. Yes, it was going to get a second chance.
Posted inPolitics
A second chance for Malloy’s justice reforms
Salvaged by a late bipartisan deal, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal to end racially disparate sentencing and reduce incarceration for non-violent crimes was passed at midnight Tuesday by the Senate and sent to the House.
Posted inPolitics
A ‘kumbaya moment’ eludes Connecticut pols
Lost in the imbroglio over whether Gov. Dannel P. Malloy really blames racism for GOP opposition to his sentencing reforms was that the legislation already had stalled in the General Assembly for a more conventional reason: Democrats see the issue as politically dangerous.
Posted inPolitics
FAQ part of Malloy’s lobbying for ‘Second Chance’
The office of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy sent the following email to legislators. SB 952, An Act Concerning a Second Chance Society Frequently Asked Questions As Governor’s Bill 952 has moved through the legislative process, there have been numerous questions (as well as some misconceptions) about various aspects of the bill. This document is intended […]