Criminal justice employees, advocates prepare for the Lamont era
Governor-elect has said he’ll continue reforms
With Ned Lamont officially the governor-elect, state Department of Correction officials are crafting a strategic plan while the ACLU of Connecticut waits to see whether he upholds campaign promises.
DOC Commissioner Scott Semple, whose last day is Jan. 1, said he's happy Lamont has pledged to continue the criminal justice reforms that occurred under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Malloy's efforts, known collectively as the Second Chance Society, include programs that pair longtime inmates with youthful offenders, target veterans and substance abuse, and help youthful and nonviolent offenders avoid prison time.
The policies have brought scrutiny from politicians such as state Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, who believes they're too lenient, but also have earned the state national recognition for its shrinking prison population and low rate of crime.
Connecticut, which had almost 20,000 people incarcerated in its facilities at times in 2008, had 13,419 incarcerated as of Tuesday.
With the help of a $185,000 planning grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Semple said he and his team are studying whether the state can create a more robust program to aid those leaving prison.
As part of that, Semple said officials want to add educational opportunities for those in prison, 50 percent of whom come into the system without a GED or a diploma.
The DOC also is expanding the mentoring program at Cheshire Correctional Institution, which is known as T.R.U.E. and is separate from the rest of the facility.
Semple said it's too soon to know how the program and its sister program at the women's prison in
Niantic have impacted recidivism — they began operating in March 2017 and July 2018, respectively — but “there have been virtually zero incidents in those units,” which is good for inmates and correctional officers.
Semple said his only child, a son who died of a rare form of cancer on Jan. 1, 2015, at age 15, inspired him to accept the role of commissioner.
“For me, the worst thing that could happen has already happened,” said Semple, who has been in corrections for 30 years. “Why not be bold? I’ve been in the business for a long time. It was time to try something different.”
In an emailed statement, Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Kane said his office looks forward to working with Lamont and is “hopeful that the Division of Criminal Justice will be allowed to participate meaningfully in the discussion of criminal justice issues.”
Groton Town police Chief Louis J. Fusaro Jr., speaking on behalf of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, said the group tries to be open-minded when it comes to criminal justice.
“I think we take the position that we give second chances every day, whether making the decision not to arrest someone or not to issue a summons or a ticket,” said Fusaro, who cochairs the association’s legislative committee.
“That said, you have to look at the efficacy of letting people have a second chance,” he said. “Sometimes there are compelling reasons you would want it, but other times maybe you can’t let it exist.”
Gus Marks-Hamilton, Smart Justice field organizer for the ACLU of Connecticut, said the ACLU wants Lamont to include formerly incarcerated advocates in a national search for the next DOC commissioner. The ACLU also has asked Lamont to introduce legislation to further prohibit discrimination based on a person’s criminal record and to improve transparency around prosecutors’ decisions on bail, diversionary programs and other court dispositions.
Lamont agreed to those provisions in a letter to the ACLU and, in a statement emailed to The Day, said he is “proud that Connecticut has led the nation on criminal justice reform” and plans to invest in job training, education and reentry programs for the formerly incarcerated.
The Smart Justice campaign aims to reduce the state’s incarcerated population by 50 percent while eliminating racial disparities in the justice system. Formerly incarcerated people spearhead the campaign.
“We believe part of the reason (Bob Stefanowski) lost the election is because Connecticut voters realized smart criminal justice policy is something that Connecticut has made progress on,” Marks-Hamilton said. “People know mass incarceration has been costly and ineffective, and that making people productive, taxpaying citizens again is what’s good for Connecticut.”