Suzio Unveils Shocking Data About Malloy’s Early Prison Release Initiative
October 2, 2018Suzio Unveils Shocking Data
About Malloy’s Early Prison Release Initiative
Calls on State Officials to Immediately Suspend Program for Violent Inmates
Sen. Len Suzio (R-Meriden) today released shocking data regarding violent crimes committed by former Connecticut prisoners who participated in Gov. Dan Malloy’s Risk Reduction Earned Credit (RREC) program and called on the Connecticut Department of Correction to suspend the program for violent felons immediately.
“The information I have received through a Freedom of Information request shows what a catastrophic failure the governor’s early release program has been,” Sen. Suzio said. “There have been over 14,000 serious violent crimes that have been committed by individuals who have been discharged from prison early. 14,008, to be exact. I’m talking about murder, rape kidnapping, all kinds of serious assaults. The data I have received is shocking. It shows that every single one of these crimes has been committed by a person who has not been reformed.”
Prisoner release data that Sen. Suzio obtained from the Connecticut Department of Correction reveals the following information:
- First year cohort (Oct 1, 2011 through Sept 30, 2012)
- 9,410 discharged prisoners were readmitted 9,473 times – a stunning 100.7% Readmission Rate
- Recidivism in this group was 66.9% (including all readmissions and subsequent discharges.)
- Of the 40,814 unique inmates discharged with at least 1 RREC, there were 14,008 serious/violent crimes leading to readmission. This equates to 5.9 serious/violent crimes per day over 6 years and nine months.
- The 319 murders and rapes equal a murder or rape committed every 7.7 days by a participant in the Early Release Program
- There were 775 RREC inmates charged with crimes against a child. This equates to a crime every 3.2 days.
- Strangulation: 324 crimes
- Kidnapping: 74 crimes
“The continuing high degree of recidivism and the shocking number of 14,008 violent crimes committed by early release convicts who were supposed to reform their behavior is glaring testimony that the program is not working,” Sen. Suzio said. “Our outgoing governor doesn’t like to talk about this failed program, and I can see why. 14,008 violent crimes were committed against 14,008 innocent victims. Let’s remember those men, women and children who were the unfortunate victims of this failed initiative. The Department of Correction should immediately suspend this early prison release program for violent offenders before more tragedies take place.”
Sen. Suzio’s proposal earlier this year to reform the early prison release program for violent felons passed in the Connecticut State Senate with bipartisan support, but the measure later died. Sen. Suzio’s proposed reforms would have added four violent crimes to the list of crimes that are not eligible for participation in Malloy’s failed early prison release program.
The crimes include:
- first degree rape, sex with a victim under age 13 or a mentally incapacitated person or gang rape
- first degree assault of an elderly, disabled or blind person
- first degree assault of a pregnant woman resulting in the death of her baby
- first degree assault using a deadly weapon.