New laws help improve justice system

There are times when a law is passed that it’s hard to believe it wasn’t a law already. Such was the case when a pair of Bridgeport women died in unrelated incidents and family members were left searching for answers. Demonstrations filled the streets as anguished loved ones searched for answers. As was inevitable, people began to question official responses to inquiries as to the cause of death. When the truth is hidden, people will naturally assume that there is more to the story.

The Bridgeport Police Department’s handling of the deaths of Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls in December led the state Legislature to act. Police investigating a death now must within 24 hours contact that person’s family. The law further gives the state inspector general authority to recommend an officer be decertified in cases where police fail to provide such notice.

It shouldn’t have been necessary for this law to be passed. It’s a basic responsibility to let family members know when something has happened to a loved one, and a sense of community requires that people be treated with respect. That’s not always enough, as events have shown. As of Oct. 1, it will now be required by state law that such an event not repeat.

Public safety is always a fraught topic, and people’s perceptions of how safe our streets are will rarely match up with reality. The numbers show that Connecticut is among the safest states in America, even as many people are convinced crime is rampant. At the same time, crime is not evenly distributed, so while many suburbs are crime-free, cities are too often the scene of gunfire and death.

There was a rise in crime that coincided with the spread of COVID-19, but much of the response was driven by politics. Too many supposed leaders in search of a headline claimed the state was victimized by a youth-driven crisis, and demanded greater crackdowns on young offenders. In truth, the link between harsher punishment and lower crime is a myth. We can’t solve our problems by locking people up for ever longer periods. There’s more to public safety than punishment.

At the same time, other new laws that take effect this month will help the criminal justice process proceed more smoothly. One policy requires a faster arraignment process that would put accused child offenders in front of a judge within five days of their arrest. Another would provide police the ability to hold young people accused of crimes for an additional two hours for a maximum of eight hours while police seek a detention order.

It’s important to note that in all these cases, only a small number of people would be affected. Despite the fulminations, Connecticut is not gripped by a crisis of youth crime, and for what problems do exist, more resources for troubled children would be far more effective than increasing penalties.

There will always be disagreements on the best way to keep crime to a minimum. Especially in the heat of campaign season, it’s a controversial subject. But we can agree that there are always ways to improve. These laws, incremental though they might seem, help take us down that path.

Public safety is always a fraught topic, and people’s perceptions of how safe our streets are will rarely match up with reality.