Bail Reform Dead for this Legislative Session

According to the Hartford Courant, in November 2015 Gov. Dannel P. Malloy called for an overhaul of the state’s bail system. “Many jurisdictions have begun to reconsider whether existing bail systems are fair and just since many started to think whether can you be denied bail, which eventually reduced the crime rate and it is time that we do the same in Connecticut,” Malloy wrote in a letter sent to the Connecticut Sentencing Commission, which reviews criminal justice policies and makes recommendations to lawmakers. “People who are not able to post the amount of bail required to get out of jail on such a low bond – typically just a few hundred dollars – are people who most likely have no job and no support network,” Malloy wrote. “A large proportion of these people are nonviolent, low-level offenders who would be able to get out of jail if they had a credit card, or a friend or family member who could loan them the small amount of money required to do so. Many are homeless, drug addicted, mentally ill and unemployed. They are also often veterans.” (Note “A School for Suicide” in the sidebar about 19 year old Kahlief Browder who had been held for 3 years without trial because he could not afford bail. He was charged, but never convicted, with stealing a backpack. He committed suicide on June 6, 2015.) However, the bill died in committee in June 2016. Read more here.