S.B. 307, An Act Concerning Prosecutorial Accountability and Priority Given to Cases Prosecuted

State's Attorneys are among the most powerful but least accountable actors in the criminal legal system. If Senate Bill 307 is passed, Connecticut will have more transparent prosecution with meaningful opportunities for both oversight and public input. The sooner it is passed, the sooner we may move away from the mass incarceration paradigm and into the world of building safe and healthy communities.

Smart Justice is advocating for S.B. 307 to pass, because we must start holding State's Attorneys to common sense accountability systems.

Session

2022

Bill number

S.B. 307

Position

Support

1. Smart Justice Testifies

A.Smart Justice Testifies

Brittany is a student at UConn studying for a master’s degree in public policy, and she'll be attending law school in the fall. She's a mother, a homeowner, and a formerly incarcerated person. She testified about why accountability for State's Attorneys is long overdue.

Shelby is a second-year law student studying for a dual MPA/JD degree and a formerly incarcerated person. She testified about why to combat systemic racism, we need accountability for State's Attorneys.

2. Why do we need accountability for State's Attorneys?

A.Why do we need accountability for State's Attorneys?

On the blog: Five reasons why we need accountability for State's Attorneys

On the blog: The death penalty showed why we need accountability for State's Attorneys

On the blog: State's Attorneys' term lengths are extreme outliers in Connecticut and across the country

Hartford Courant op-ed: Claudine Fox: Lack of accountability for state’s attorneys hurts Connecticut residents [This will take you to a third-party website, www.courant.com]

3. Polling

A.Polling

86% of Connecticut voters, including 91% of Democrats, 83% of Independents, and 81% of Republicans, support making state's attorneys undergo data-driven performance evaluations every two years to ensure there is no discrimination in their charges based on gender, age, race, or ethnicity.