Smart Justice 2023 Legislative Testimony

"As human beings we are all constantly evolving. I’m certainly not the same teenage child I was three decades ago. Sentencing someone to more than 10 years without an opportunity for a second look suggests that change is not possible. I know from first-hand experience that change is extremely possible with the right support. A person who made a mistake can grow up to be an asset to their community, like I am today." 

Tracie's testimony on S.B. 952, regarding parole eligibility for young people

Tracie's testimony on H.B. 1196, regarding strip searches with the Department of Corrections, and H.B. 6875, regarding state IDs for people leaving incarceration

"State’s Attorney should be representing the interests of the people of Connecticut—that includes incarcerated and formally incarcerated individuals. PEOPLE LIKE ME. Reasonably my scrutiny focusses on fairness and efficiency. How do I know if the State’s Attorney are fairly implementing justice? Or more appropriately, the question is…how would you know if they were not? The only way I could comment on their work is once every eight years when a State’s Attorney is up for an appointment. It is necessary to require State’s Attorneys to be transparent and accountable for the decisions they make."

Shelby's testimony on S.B. 1070, regarding prosecutorial accountability

"I am a person who has gone through the reentry process here in Connecticut and in other states. In the state of New York they recognize how important an ID is and will make sure either you have it before you leave a correctional facility or they will literally walk with you from a halfway house to the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain one. Here in Connecticut, however, I had to obtain three pieces of mail that could prove my new address, which could take two to three weeks, before I could go the DMV to get an ID. And of course that required some amount of money which I didn’t have because I wasn’t able to find employment without an ID."

Curtis's testimony on H.B. 6875, regarding IDs for people reentering society after incarceration

"When I was 22-years-old, I was arrested. When I was questioned by the police, officers made promises to me that were clearly not real, like telling me I could go home after I confessed to them, or that I would be given a bond that I could afford, or that people I knew had said things about me that were not true. While I was not a juvenile, I wasn’t much older than the ages of many of the people you have/will hear from today who gave confessions as juveniles that were not true and resulted in wrongful convictions. I have been fortunate to have been able to complete my sentence and am now in law school at the University of Connecticut. I am also the Assistant Director of the National Prison Debate League. When I become a practicing attorney, whether working with clients or in court, or preparing incarcerated people to exchange ideas in educational spaces, lying or deceiving will never be an acceptable way to interact with people. That could not be more necessary for children, who are vulnerable to deceptive tactics, especially when they are in the custody of the police – people who should otherwise be protecting them, not coercing them into making a confession." 

Brittany's testimony on S.B. 1071, regarding police deception

Brittany's testimony on H.B. 923, regarding access to education

"Every person should be able to work in an environment that treats them with respect. Last year I worked in a restaurant that is part of a national chain. This was the first job I had after serving some time in prison – it was the only job I was able to find that would hire me, even though I had a long resume and a great work history. I had no choice, I had to take what I could get. At this particular restaurant, nearly every employee was formerly incarcerated. And when we were hired, we began at one wage, but for our second paycheck, our hourly rate actually dropped by $2 an hour. When I questioned my boss 'Why?' his response was 'I did it because I could.'"

Lori's testimony on H.B. 6859, regarding predictable scheduling for workers

"No one, and especially children, should be imprisoned because the police coerced, manipulated and deceived them into saying something that is not true. When I think about my son, who like I said is 15-years-old, I pray that he never has to interact with the police. I am truly scared that the police would not be looking out for his best interests in any situation, and that is not how it should be."

Marquita's testimony on S.B. 1071, regarding police deception 

"I have faced every kind of challenge that a Black person, a Black woman, can face in their lifetime. SROs in my high school only enhanced the problems that we faced as students. Instead of allowing young people to be in school and operate at their own pace, because a kid might come to school hungry, or wasn’t able to sleep the night before because of issues they were dealing with at home, schools became places of punishment and fear, instead of learning. That was what it became for me. I was that kid." 

Terri's testimony on H.B. 1095, regarding keeping police out of schools

Terri's testimony on S.B. 1196, regarding strip searches in prisons

"My favorite day of the session is when S.B. 1070 passed. That is when we held prosecutors accountable."

"I believe in a society where all people, including those who have been convicted or accused of a crime, should have an equal opportunity to build successful and fulfilling lives. All people deserve to live their lives without barriers to being happy and productive residents ... I made it on the Deans several semesters. It was there that I ran into my second barrier."

Will's testimony on S.B. 923, regarding access to education

"Over the past 10 years, I’ve worked with youth, ages 11 to 24 across Hartford Public Schools. All too often I have witnessed young people traumatized on a regular basis by the SROs and police officers within the school system."

Manny's testimony on S.B. 1095, regarding creating schools free from school resource officers (SROs)

Manny's testimony on S.B. 1071, regarding banning police deceptive interrogations of children

Manny's testimony on H.B. 5033, regarding the minimum wage for incarcerated workers

Manny's testimony on S.B. 923, regarding expanding access to education

Alex advocated in support of numerous bills in 2023, including bills to end police deceptive interrogations of children, begin creating prosecutorial accountability, and improve voting rights.

"Every Connecticut resident is affected by the decisions made by Connecticut prosecutors, known as 'state’s attorneys.' People accused or convicted of a crime, their families, victims of crime and their families, and taxpayers who foot the bills for both prosecutors’ budgets and the cost of incarceration are impacted by the criminal legal system and deserve to know about the role that prosecutors play in the operation of the criminal legal system. Prosecutors hold people’s lives in their hands."

Gus's testimony on S.B. 1070, regarding prosecutorial accountability

Gus's testimony on H.B. 5702, to allow people incarcerated with a felony conviction to vote 

"As a person, who has had my voting rights restored and exercises my right to vote I believe enfranchisement is an integral way for all Americans to participate in the democracy that governs them. The ACLU-CT has submitted written testimony, but I wanted to take a moment to describe my own experience registering people on parole to vote which recently enfranchised people on parole the right to vote."

Anderson's testimony on H.B. 5702, to allow people incarcerated with a felony conviction to vote