The public got a chance this week to weigh in on three proposals that would change Connecticut’s criminal justice system. One proposal would allow sex offenders to be removed earlier from a sex offender registry; another proposes a constitutional amendment on pretrial release and detention, and a third would reduce a state sentence for a misdemeanor offense by one day to prevent more severe immigration consequences, the New Haven Register reports. The state Sentencing Commission is preparing to make its recommendations to Gov. Dannel Malloy and the General Assembly for the start of the 2018 legislative session.
Cindy Prizio of a group called Connecticut for One Standard of Justice told the commission in a hearing that the sex offender registry was too limited. The proposal would allow people on the registry to ask for a shorter registration period or apply for removal. The new system could actually lengthen some terms on the registry. On the bail issue, the legislature eliminated cash bail for most non-violent misdemeanors in a budget Malloy signed on Oct. 31. Now, the Sentencing Commission is exploring a constitutional amendment on pre-trial release generally. The bail industry opposes. Andrew Marocchini of the Bail Association of Connecticut contended that the state does not have a problem with indigents being held pre-trial.