Connecticut
JRI Year: 2004
2004
Background
In 2004, Connecticut’s prison population had increased 7 percent over the preceding 4 years and the state’s prisons were over capacity by 2,000 people. Between 2003 and 2004, the CSG Justice Center worked with Connecticut state leaders to analyze Connecticut’s criminal justice data, interview stakeholders from across the criminal justice system, and develop data-driven policy options designed to reduce corrections spending and increase public safety.
Policies
In 2004, Connecticut became the first state in the country to enact Justice Reinvestment legislation, which established programs to reduce by at least 20 percent the number of people on probation or parole who are incarcerated as a result of technical violations. The legislation also required parole hearings to be held in a timely manner, including mandating people convicted of serious offenses to receive a parole hearing after serving 85 percent of their sentences. Finally, it required the state to develop a comprehensive reentry strategy to promote successful transition from incarceration to the community. As a result, Connecticut implemented several policy and practice changes.1
Outcomes
As a result of these policies, in FY2005 Connecticut reinvested $13 million in reentry programs and initiatives designed to reduce recidivism and improve public safety. The state was able to return individuals housed out of state back to Connecticut, and recidivism rates decreased between 2004 and 2008. In 2006, the legislature established within the Office of Policy and Management the Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division, which is charged with promoting a more effective and cohesive criminal justice system.2
For more information, see Justice Reinvestment in Connecticut.
JRI-Driven Policies and Practices
- Establish/improve electronic monitoring
- Require/improve risk-needs assessment
- Improve behavioral health interventions
- Require data collection/performance measures
- Improve restitution/victim notification
Other JRI-Funded Projects
In Connecticut, individual agencies, in partnership with the CSG Justice Center, participated in the Justice Counts initiative as part of a larger criminal justice effort.
1 The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2023, Justice Reinvestment in Connecticut, New York, NY: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, retrieved May 16, 2023, from https://csgjusticecenter.org/projects/justice-reinvestment/past-states/connecticut/.
2 The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2023, Connecticut, New York, NY: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, retrieved May 1, 2023, https://csgjusticecenter.org/states/connecticut/.