Legislation

Connecticut must also divest from policing and reinvest in programs that build strong and safe communities.

In this omnibus bill, the ACLU of Connecticut submitted testimony in partial support of House Bill 6594, An Act Concerning the Criminal Justice Process, as to Sections 9, 13-21, and 23-27; and in partial opposition to House Bill 6594, as to Sections 2, 3, 11, 12, and 28.

Moving towards truly safe and healthy communities requires being honest that these two truths are sometimes in tension and doing the hard work of coming up with new ways to create safety for people who have gone without it for too long.

The ACLU-CT believes that due to systemic racism in policing across the country, the most effective way to keep communities of color safe from overpolicing and police violence is to reimagine the role of police.

The ACLU-CT strongly encourages the Committee to support Senate Bill 363 to bring Connecticut in line with our neighbors and to provide an additional avenue to protect the civil rights of Connecticut residents.

The ACLU-CT believes in a society where all people, including those who have been convicted of a crime, have equal opportunity to contribute to society and build successful and fulfilling lives.

Reallocating money from the state’s sole supermax prison and into remedying harms of the criminal legal system is a just and moral use of these funds.

Connecticut is making strides toward reducing mass incarceration, but to achieve this goal, the state cannot continue to impose harsher penalties or create new offenses.