Senator Harding Stands Against Board of Pardons and Paroles Appointments in Continued Efforts to Temporarily Suspend Commutations (Photo Included)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 12th, 2023

Photo Included

Senator Harding Stands Against Board of Pardons and Paroles Chair and Member Appointments in Continued Efforts to Temporarily Suspend Commutations

HARTFORD – Today, State Senator Stephen Harding (R-Brookfield) stood with Senator Heather Somers (R-Mystic) and members of the Senate Republican Caucus in their continued efforts to call on the Lamont Administration to suspend prison commutations until the legislature can weigh in on the matter. In March, Senate Republicans stood with victims’ families to sound the alarm on the current flawed commutation policy administered by the unelected Board of Pardons and Paroles, which has resulted in an astounding increase in commutations for violent offenders. The push comes with the confirmation vote of Board members in the Senate and Governor Lamont’s newly selected Chair of the Board earlier this week.

Senator Stephen Harding began, “One of the things I’ve learned in my career here in the legislature, when we vote ‘yes’ on nominations of individuals who are Chairs of that particular Board or Commission they sit on, it is very much a reaffirmation of the direction in which the board or commission may be going.”

“We are seeing an astronomical increase in petitions granted by the board in the past few years. These pardons were awarded based on the policies that Chairman Carleton Giles set forward.

We need to make it clear to victims in our state that we hear you, we care about you, and we are going to stand beside you”, Senator Harding continued.

“By the direction the board has been going, and under the leadership of Mr. Giles, I would argue we cannot vote for this renomination and say we stand with the victims simultaneously. The operation of this board, in my opinion, has run completely contrary to the interest of the victims, and their families, listening to their voices, and supporting their voices. What our vote today indicates, is where we stand on this issue.” Harding concludes.

The caucus has called on the Governor to stop commutations until the General Assembly can act on a policy that appropriately addresses this inexcusable oversight.

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Photo: Senator Harding pictured during a press conference with victims’ families

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