Judiciary Committee
JOINT FAVORABLE REPORT
Bill No.: SB-978
AN ACT CONCERNING PAROLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS
SERVING LENGTHY SENTENCES FOR CRIMES COMMITTED BEFORE THE
Title: INDIVIDUAL TURNED TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF AGE.
Vote Date: 4/5/2021
Vote Action: Joint Favorable Substitute
PH Date: 3/10/2021
File No.: 611
Disclaimer: The following JOINT FAVORABLE Report is prepared for the benefit of the
members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and
explanation and does not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber
thereof for any purpose.
SPONSORS OF BILL:
The Judiciary Committee
Rep. Travis Simms, 140th Dist.,
Sen. Will Haskell, 26th Dist.
REASONS FOR BILL:
This bill is intended to provide a second chance for incarcerated individuals who were
convicted and sentenced before twenty-one years of age. The bill expands parole
opportunities for certain eighteen, nineteen, and twenty-year old offenders that currently
apply to certain offenders aged seventeen or younger. The bill is projected to result in
marginal savings to the Department of Correction provided that incarcerated individuals are
released sooner from DOC facilities. It is also intended to incentivize rehabilitation.
SUBSTITUTE LANGUAGE:
The substitute language changed the age at which the board may apply parole eligibility rules
from eighteen to twenty-five years of age to eighteen to twenty-one years of age and
changed the date the individual was incarcerated from October 1, 2015 to October 1, 2021.
RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:
State of Connecticut, Division of Public Defender Services, Chief Public Defender, Christine
Perra Rapillo supports this bill citing the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller V. Alabama,
that a sentence of life without parole for individuals who committed their crimes prior to their
18th birthday, without first considering their youth as a mitigating factor violates the ban on
cruel and unusual punishment set out in the Eighth Amendment to the United States
Constitution. It is also stated that extending age eligibility will allow the Board to review
additional individuals and determine the extent to which their youth at the time of the crime
should impact the decision to grant parole.
State of Connecticut, Division of Criminal Justice opposes this bill and recommends the
Committee take no action. It is also stated that increasing the age of eligible offenders is
neither constitutionally required, nor does it appear to be based on any compelling scientific
State of Connecticut, Judicial Branch opposes this bill stating that it is the experience of the
Judicial Branchs Office of Victim Services that victims are generally opposed to legislation
that retroactively changes laws. It is also stated that the bill creates logistical and notification
concerns including the large number of eligible inmates upon passage.
State of Connecticut, Board of Pardons and Paroles supports this bill stating that it follows
scientific research to implement public policy. It is also stated that the Board may need
additional funding to accommodate an increase in caseload.
State of Connecticut, Office of the Victim Advocate, State Victim Advocate, Natasha M.
Pierre, Esq. opposes this bill stating that it will undermine the participation of crime victims
throughout the criminal justice process by allowing adolescent criminal offenders to be
considered for release to parole earlier than they would normally be eligible.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:
Transitions Clinic Network, Legal Director, James Bhandary-Alexander supports this bill
stating that by reinvesting funds saved from the closure of Northern CI to serve people
leaving incarceration via reentry coordination, housing, and hiring community health workers,
this bill will lead to improved health and fewer emergency room visits, fewer probation and
parole violations, and less recidivism
National Association of Social Workers, Connecticut Chapter (NASW/CT), Chair, Kathleen
Callahan, MSW supports this bill stating that it advances recent research into brain
development with an expanded definition of adolescence.
Quinnipiac University, School of Health Sciences, Amber Kelly, PhD, MSW, LCSW supports
this bill stating that locking away whole segments of our communities for the remainder of
their lives does not promote community safety. It is also stated that by recognizing peer
reviewed brain development research, reconnecting families, and ensuring that people have
the support they need to become supportive members of our communities will promote
community safety.
American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, Interim Senior Policy Counsel, Kelly
McConney Moore supports this bill stating that leaving adolescence happens on a spectrum
and people convicted of committing crimes while under the age of twenty-five should receive
the same earlier parole opportunities as other adolescents. It is also stated that this bill is not
only justified by straightforward science, but also by guiding principles of justice and fairness.
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Connecticut Justice Alliance, Policy Director, Iliana Pujols supports this bill stating that crimes
committed between ages eighteen and twenty-five, known to developmental psychologists as
emerging adulthood, are fundamentally different from crimes committed by mature adults in
both their cause and nature.
The Sentencing Project, Senior Advocacy Associate, Josh Rovner supports this bill stating
that it does not guarantee release but ensures adolescents have a second chance to prove
that they can be productive members of society. It is also stated that arrest data suggest that
people convicted of violent offenses desist as they age.
Connecticut Justice Alliance, Community Connections Associate, Jordyn Wilson supports this
bill and urges the legislature to include specific sections regarding youth under eighteen,
charged as adults, in the custody of the Department of Corrections in Manson Youth
Institution and York Correctional Institute. It is also stated that the organization suggests
investment for community-based services for youth identified as at-risk prior to
incarceration.
Quinnipiac University School of Law, Legal Clinic, Juvenile Sentencing Project supports this
bill stating that it offers a critical chance for a second look at people sentenced for crimes
before their brains had fully developed. It is also stated that this bill provides an opportunity
for rehabilitated individuals to begin to make amends by contributing to their communities
outside of prison.
The National Lawyers Guild at Yale Law School supports this bill stating that acknowledging
humanity in young adults does not diminish the severity of their actions and that while the
harm individuals can inflict on one another is real, it does not get solved by ripping an
individual from their community and their future. It is also stated that accountability is an
active and communal process, and it cannot be achieved by locking young adults away
without a second chance.
Yale Black Law Students Association, 2020-2021 Board Members support this bill stating
that it will help bring the states laws in line with current scientific and social understanding
that young adulthood extends beyond the age of eighteen, by ensuring that young adults up
to the age of twenty-five have the chance to demonstrate their readiness for parole. It is also
stated that Black people are severely overrepresented in Connecticuts prison system and
providing an opportunity for people sentenced as young adults to seek parole is a step
towards remedying racial disparities.
Yale Law School, Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization, Challenging Mass
Incarceration Clinic supports this bill stating that allowing individualized consideration would
be life-changing for those who have reflected on their mistakes and deserve a chance to
demonstrate their growth and earn their freedom without posing a risk to public safety. It is
also stated that the legislation will save taxpayer money and reduce racial disparities in
Connecticut prisons
The following residents support this bill, many stating that it will help prisons fulfill the
responsibility to rehabilitate prisoners and that neurological and psychological research has
shown that individuals do not complete development of key parts of the brain until after age
twenty-five. Some stated that this bill could change the lives of their loved ones by providing
the opportunity for freedom and a second chance.
Page 3 of 5 SB-978
New Haven, CT, Resident, Matias Alberola Humble
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Student,
Member, Carmel Alshaibi James Jeter
New Haven, CT Resident, Yales Dems CT Resident, Nicole Johnson
Member, Esha Bhattacharya New Haven, CT, Resident, Rob LaRose
CT, Resident, Chiara Bercu Woodbury, CT, Residents, Jeff and Norma
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems Leavenworth
Member, Richard Cardoso New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Law
Evelyn Chacon Student, Faith Lewis
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems New Haven, CT, Resident, Amelie Lo
Member, Josephine Cureton New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
Waterford, CT, Residents, Linda Cusano Member, Eliza Lord
and Ronald Cusano CT Resident, Marlene Ma
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems New Haven, CT, Resident, Rev. Isabella
Member, Esther Dominguez Marin
New Haven, CT, Resident, Hannah Deng Meriden, CT, Resident Debra Martinez
New Haven, CT, Resident, Sarah Eppler- New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
Epstein, Member, Kyle Mayer
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems CT Resident, Karen McGrath
Member, Faith Evanson CT Resident, Adam T. McVeay
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
Member, Sofia Fausone Member, Sabrina Mellinghoff
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems New Haven, CT, Resident, Felisha Miles
Member, Jerry Feng New Haven, CT, Resident, Kayla Morin
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
Member, Tre Flagg Member, Dante Motley
Enfield, CT, Resident, Mary Flint CT Resident, Dorothy Naseerullah
New Haven, CT, Resident, Jaster Franis New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems Member, Shreya Nuli
Member, Albert Gang New Haven, CT, Resident, Daniel Ocampo
New Haven, CT, Resident, Kailyn Gaines New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems Member, Isiuwa Omoigui
Member, William Garcia CT Resident, Ifamah Oseni
New Haven, CT, Resident, Jason Gardiner New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems Member, Margalit Patry-Martin
Member, Dina Garmroudi New Haven, CT, Resident, Fernando
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Law Quiroz
Student, Max Jesse Goldberg New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems Member, Flora Ranis
Member, Josh Guo New Haven, CT, Resident, Eleanor
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems Roberts
Member, Theo Haaks New Haven, CT, Resident, Isir Said
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems New Haven, CT, Resident, Marie Sanford
Member, Isabelle Han New Haven, CT, Resident, Steffan Seitz
New Haven, CT Resident, Frankie Canton, CT, Resident, Crystal Sherman
Hedgepeth New Haven, CT, Resident, Aaron Siegel
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
Member, Lucy Hodgman Member, Ryan Smith
East Hartford, CT, Resident, Amanda Charlottesville, VA, Resident, Suzanne
Stephens Member, Bryson Wiese
New Haven, CT, Resident, Julia Sulkowski Southbury, CT, Resident, Tami Wityak
New Haven, CT, Resident, Michael Tayag New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems Member, Braden Wong
Member, Lukas Trelease New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems Member, Ryan Xie
Member, Ted Vinnitchouk New Haven, CT, Resident, Oliver Ye
New Haven, CT, Resident, Alisa White New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems
New Haven, CT, Resident, Yale Dems Member, Sydney Zoehrer
NATURE AND SOURCES OF OPPOSITION:
Bridgeport, CT, Resident, Yvette Marie Embry opposes this bill citing the murder of her
nephew.
Bridgeport, CT, Resident, Jacqueline Pettway opposes this bill citing the psychological
impact of the murder of her son.
Greenwich, CT, Resident, Michele Voigt opposes this bill stating that as a survivor of gun
violence with a professional background in community-based social services and
rehabilitation, this bill disregards the rights of victims and survivors of violent crime.
The following residents oppose this bill citing the murder of family member Emily Todd, who
was violently murdered in December 2018, though her killer was over the age of twenty-five
and would not be impacted by this legislation:
Bethel, CT, Resident, Erin Bond
Bethel, CT Resident, Sharon Delaney
Katonah, NY, Resident, Carrie Delaney
Reported by: Rose Hirschl Date: 5/5/2021
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