The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

But one prominent Republican lawmaker, state Sen. Leonard Fasano, R-North Haven, said the proposal is a "considerable step toward making Connecticut safer." He added that Lawlor and Judiciary Committee Co-Chairman Andrew J. McDonald, D-Stamford, have "done a very good job addressing the issues of concern."

Fasano predicted the state’s lawmakers will spend whatever it takes to safeguard residents.

"Nobody should ever tell a family that a violent offender was let go because we did not have enough money to keep (him or her) in prison," Fasano said.

Lawlor said the heart of the proposal is to redefine exactly what a "home invasion is" under the law. Currently, a home invasion is defined as second-degree burglary, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. But Lawlor said legislators want to see a "home invasion" rise to first-degree burglary, which is punishable by up to 20 years, and requires a minimum mandatory sentence of five years.

First-degree burglary is defined as when someone is hurt or if the suspect is armed, but Lawlor said the state has learned that someone breaking into a home without a gun doesn’t mean no one will be harmed.

In the Cheshire triple homicide in July, Joshua Komisarjevsky, 27, and Steven Hayes, 44, allegedly broke into the home of Dr. William Petit Jr. and killed his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their two daughters. The pair also allegedly savagely beat Petit, 50, but he escaped as his home was set on fire.

"Whether or not you have a weapon, if someone breaks into an occupied home, you are much more likely to get hurt," Lawlor said. "(Komisarjevsky and Hayes) did not have guns but they (allegedly) killed three people."

Fasano said designating a home invasion as a violent crime and requiring a minimum mandatory sentence of five years is "very critical." It also requires offenders to serve 85 percent of their sentences before being eligible for parole.

Both Komisarjevsky and Hayes were paroled burglars who met in a Hartford halfway house prior to their release. But what has inspired some of the most vocal outrage following the Petit slayings is that parole officials did not have transcripts and other documents when deciding to release Komisarjevsky early.

That included a judge’s description of Komisarjevsky when he was sentenced to nine years in prison for breaking into 18 homes between 2001 and 2002, while wearing night vision goggles and latex gloves. Superior Court Judge James Bentivegna called Komisarjevsky "a calculated, cold-blooded predator."

The proposed bill will require a judge to publicly explain how they decide bail amounts set for those arrested.

"In this case, there was nothing on the record and there was no accountability," Fasano said.

The costs center on Lawlor and McDonald’s plan to commit $260 million in bonding for the construction of a 1,000-bed medium security prison and a 1,200-bed medical and mental health prison. The bill calls for the addition of 200 residential treatment beds for sex offenders leaving prison, and significantly increasing the staff of the Department of Corrections.

Lawlor said the prison space is vital because the prison population has spiked by about 1,000 since the Cheshire homicides. Currently, there are about 20,000 prisoners in the state.

While Lawlor said he thought the funds are necessary, the request will be controversial because Gov. M. Jodi Rell will have to raise the spending and bonding cap. Rell, through a spokesman, declined to comment specifically on the proposal but said she "believes we need to make Connecticut’s laws tougher and we need to continue to crack down on violent offenders — particularly repeat violent offenders."

The bill requires the Office of Adult Probation to compile a list of all outstanding violation of probation warrants on the Internet, including photos and the offender’s last known address. Additionally, a "SHIELD" electronic information system would be created to provide state-of-the-art communication between all criminal justice agencies, including instant access to police reports, pre-sentence investigations and sentencing transcripts.

Lawlor said if the law passes, people will be able to access an individual’s conviction information online, including criminal records and police reports. He said the goal is to enact a new law before the beginning of the 2008 legislative session in February.

There will be a public hearing on the proposal at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, in Room 2E.

ttp://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18992460&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=590581&rfi=6