Smart Justice 2024 Legislative Testimony

My name is Tracie Bernardi-Guzman, I am a resident of Waterbury, a wife and step-mother to three children, a ReEntry Case Manager with Community Partners in Actions, and a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut. I am here to testify in support of House Bill 5242, An Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Record on Housing Opportunities.

I hope that after listening to my testimony you will understand that housing discrimination is real for people who are living with a criminal record. In 2015, I was released from prison after serving a 23-year sentence. As a long-term inmate, I never understood recidivism and how people who were released would ever come back. I assumed these people liked prison, or simply could not function on their own, but that was only my opinion because I had not yet directly experienced re-entry.

In 2016, my boyfriend, who is now my husband, and I applied for apartments together in New Britain. He had custody of his three school-aged children and needed to move before the school year began. On the apartment application, it specifically asked, “who would be living in the household has a criminal record?” My boyfriend called the property manager, and she advised him not to add my name to the application because of my record. She said the property owner would not rent to me because of my record and deny us the lease. This was not even a nice apartment; actually, it was a disaster. The furnace was broken, we had to boil our water, things just kept breaking, and later the landlord tried to evict us using my record as the excuse. We moved to Waterbury into a house my father owned and eventually, after a lot of challenges, were able to purchase it (but that’s a whole other story).

In 2021, I helped an elderly incarcerated woman who was wheelchair-bound and had been granted compassionate parole look for housing. Her conviction was over 25 years old, yet she was denied on 13 applications due to her record and while she was unable to find housing she had a stroke, contracted COVID-19 and sadly recently passed away.

Since 2022 I have worked as a Case Manager at the Waterbury ReEntry Welcome Center. Every week – every day – I see people come home and struggle to find a place to live. It’s the most critical and fundamental part of reentry, but far too often the most difficult to achieve. A person’s past criminal history does not tell a landlord whether a person can pay their rent on time and be a decent neighbor. I have friends now who have an easier time finding a job with their record than they do finding an apartment.

HB 5242 is about giving people a fair opportunity to find an apartment and not be denied simply because of a conviction in their past. People involved in our criminal legal system who finish their sentences have paid their debt to society. They deserve to live their lives in our state’s communities without barriers to becoming successful and productive residents like me.

So, I urge the members of the Housing Committee to support HB 5242 and thank you for listening to my testimony.

My name is Leslie Caraballo, a proud resident in the city of Bridgeport, CT, a mother, a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut, and an advocate for justice impacted youth and families. I am here in support of HB 5242, An Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Records on Housing Opportunities.

As a single mother housing has become the most significant obstacle in ensuring that my child is raised in a good environment and gets the best education she deserves, something that should be easy for me – however, it is not. As a formerly incarcerated individual who was released in 2017 to a transitional facility, I managed to secure a good job and get promotions to where I now work from home and have been living at the same address since then. I have been trying to move to an area that would be better and safer for my daughter than the neighborhood where I can’t allow her to play freely outside without worrying if she would be caught in the crossfire of something happening on the streets, but the places I have applied to have denied me due to my criminal background. I have always paid my rent on time, I have never been evicted or done anything that would cause any landlord to not give me an opportunity as a tenant, my income is not an issue, yet I am being punished, penalized and rejected for my past.

Why am I not worthy of better, and more importantly why is my child not worthy of living in a good area? When I am rejected due to a background check, that in turn robs my daughter of a bright future in a good environment. I believe in a society where all people, including those who have been convicted or accused of a crime to have equal opportunity to contribute to society and build successful and fulfilling lives. Here in my hand, I hold proof of landlords and agencies who have no problem basically stating that they conduct background checks and those with criminal records will not be considered. Stable housing is the base of ensuring successful reentry, yet our state makes it very difficult for people to actually obtain housing by constructing numerous collateral consequences related to housing.

I conclude by saying this: for the sake of parents such as myself and those affected by this, I am asking for the committee to support HB 5242 because my past should not dictate my child’s future. I believe that each and every one of you who can see my beautiful four-year-old daughter would agree and be a part of passing a bill that is just, right and supports everyone’s right to housing.

My name is Luis Delgado, I am a resident of Middletown and a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut. I am here to testify in support of House Bill 5242, An Act Concerning The Collateral Consequences Of A Criminal Record On Housing Opportunities. I support this bill because I believe in a society where all people, including those who are living with a criminal history, should have an equal opportunity to contribute to society and build successful and fulfilling lives. Having a place to live is the most critical and fundamental part of that equation, yet Connecticut makes it very difficult for people to actually obtain housing by constructing numerous collateral consequences when a person is living with a criminal conviction.

When I was 18-years-old I tried to join the Air Force. I received excellent scores on the aptitude tests and was recruited by an officer, but I was denied because I was on probation for a marijuana possession. My probation officer then told the recruitment officer that I could not serve this country now or ever because I was a criminal, and that I would be a criminal for the rest of my life. I was already a Puerto Rican and U.S. citizen by conquest and a descendent of colonialism. In hindsight, it seems like the PO knew something about the system that I did not: that my conviction was going to follow me for the rest of my life.

Living a life with a criminal record has been a challenge I don’t think anyone can understand unless they’ve experienced it first-hand. I’ve learned to avoid jobs with background checks because I knew once the conviction came to light, no matter how good of an employee I was, or how well I got along with my bosses and co-workers, I would probably be let go.

I’ve learned to steer clear of apartments that required background checks and have been living with friends and family for most of my life. I’ve never been able to put my own name on a lease because of my background. Most recently I was denied an apartment in Willimantic where the landlord outright told me that they would not give a lease to anyone with a criminal record. The only reason I was able to secure the apartment I currently live in was because of a positive relationship I had with a co-worker at my job who was related to my landlord and could vouch for me. I’ve always been upfront and honest about my past because to me it shows resiliency and my strengths, but it’s frustrating that instead of looking at who I am now, it is a past conviction that defines me. It is not who I am, it is not what I am worth, and it should not be this shadow that I have to live under for the remainder of my life. 

Our communities are stronger when everyone has the right to find safe and stable housing without a past criminal conviction and a sentence that has been complete, being a barrier. I urge the members of the Housing Committee to support HB 5242 and thank you for listening to my testimony.

My name is Curtis B. Hudson, and the B stands for Biblical, I live in New Haven, and I am a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut. I am here to testify in support of House Joint Resolution 171, which is to Propose An Amendment To The State Constitution To Revise Requirements Relating To The Offering Of Bail.

I was recently locked up for 59 days here in Connecticut for something I did not do. I’m not here to talk about my case, but I do want to share a little of this experience regarding bail. My bail was set at $75,000. The charges I was arrested for should not have received a bail that high, but the prosecutor said that due to my criminal history and “overwhelming evidence,” the bail would not be lowered. I reached out to my pastor and some of my friends to let them know what was going on, and I reached out to a bondsman. Now, you have to find the right bondsman with the right percentage and the lowest percentage, and I was told I needed to have two co-signers.

In the meantime, I was reminiscing. I’m a 64-year-old man. I was like a fish out of water. I didn’t get my correct medications, I was woken up at 3am every morning to be tested for my blood pressure. I’m an old man now, and if I did not realize anything I realized that now. I missed Thanksgiving and Christmas. I could barely have any communication with my public defender, and when my people tried to get in touch with him, he wouldn’t call them back. If I had been able to pay my bail I would have been better able to defend myself and correct the injustice that was being done. But even when I went to court, I was given two-month continues. Two months between court appearances is outlandish and crazy. I could not believe that it was happening to me.

Now obviously I’m free now, praise God. But here’s the reality check: in order to make bail, I needed two co-signers. I had to pay someone to be a co-signer. I had to pay TWICE to get out of county jail. And now I am in debt, and that debt has interest on it. This bail system does not work for anyone, but particularly for people that do not have the resources and money to afford their freedom, and especially for people that look like me. I urge the members of this Committee to support HJ 171 and would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

My name is Brittany LaMarr, and I am a Smart Justice Leader with the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut (ACLU-CT), Assistant Director of the National Prison Debate League, Fellow at Yale University, a dual Master’s in Public Policy and JD Candidate at UConn School of Law, and the former chair of the Program and Delivery Models working group of the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education Behind Bars that produced the recommendations this bill relies on.

I am writing to testify in support of House Bill 5127, An Act Requiring a Needs Assessment for the Delivery of Postsecondary Education Programs in Prisons with the request for an amendment.

When the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education Behind Bars commenced the composition consisted of 83 members from 6 states that were policymakers, prison administration, academic institutions, industry professionals, and 20% of its membership was system-impacted learners and consumers of higher education behind bars. The Commission worked for a year to produce its report, Partnerships for Progress in New England: A Student Centered Approach to Higher Education in Prison.[1]The Commission outlined 15 recommendations to support incarcerated learners and prisons in expanding the quality and access to higher education in prison. One of those recommendations was to conduct a landscape of how prison education programs are operating within a state, i.e., what incarcerated learners have access to, the landscape of degree pathways, waiting lists, connection to campus upon release, etc. all ways in which to assess whether the quality of education on the inside of prisons reflects the quality of education on the outside.

With the expansion of Pell there are strict requirements for academic institutions offering classes inside of prison which include an assessment of “(1) the experience, credentials, and turnover rates of PEP instructors; (2) whether the transferability of credits and applicability of credits toward degree programs are substantially similar to those of other programs within the college; (3) whether educational programming, career advising, and support services provided to students in the PEP are comparable to those offered on college campuses; and (4) whether the college ensures that all formerly incarcerated students are able to fully transfer their credits and continue their programs at any location of the college that offers a comparable program.”[2] It’s important that the full assessment be done on every prison education program, not just the prison education programs that access Pell. It is important for the state of Connecticut to value the impact of education in prison and understand, as my colleague Jess stated, the true life changing effects that education has on the trajectory of someone's life when they return to the community and within prisons.

I support the purpose of this legislation, however, it can be improved by (1) including consultation with incarcerated learners about their needs and (2) by expanding the scope of the assessment to include a second section wherein higher education institutions would be expected to outline their supports for incarcerated learners, access to research material, re-entry supports, academic advising etc. and any barriers they have to fulfilling their expectation of quality education in prisons. I want to stress that neither proposed section of this bill can be adequately fulfilled without the consultation of incarcerated learners as the consumers of this education. It may also be helpful to note that The Vera Institute of Justice, Unlocking Potential Initiative “is running a professional development program for corrections education directors, partnering with college accreditation agencies, and supporting the development of state systems to oversee and ensure high-quality postsecondary education systems in prisons.”[3] Connecticut can seek national support in its efforts to provide quality control in the era of the expansion of Pell if it would like. So much work has already been done in this area that we only need to inform ourselves and implement.

Education is life changing and it is a more powerful tool in prisons than punishment. Give people access to meaningful opportunities in prison and the data supports that they will make the most of it. Prisons with postsecondary education programs have fewer violent incidents than prisons without them, creating safer working conditions for staff and safer living environments for incarcerated people.[4] Postsecondary education leads to less recidivism. This means that every dollar invested in prison-based education yields four to five dollars in taxpayer savings from reduced incarceration costs and yields even great.[5] Furthermore, it is expected that employment rates for returning incarcerated learners will increase by 10% resulting in an estimated national net benefit of about $45 million.[6]

We can make meaningful impact in the state of Connecticut by making a true commitment to investing in the most powerful tool with a positive correlation and impact on public safety and economic productivity - prison education.

My name is Robin Ledbetter, and I am a resident of Hartford and a member of ACLU Smart Justice. I am here to testify in support of House Bill 5242, An Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Record on Housing Opportunities.

I am formally incarcerated after entering a correctional facility when I was 14-years-old. After reintegrating back into the community after serving 25 years, housing was the biggest obstacle I faced. Although I worked a full-time job since the third week of my release, have consulted and worked for several prestigious schools and organizations, and I was even willing to pay up to 6 month’s rent in advance, no landlord was willing to take a chance on me as a tenet. I faced homelessness. Sleeping in my friend’s basement and hotels. The facts are that Black women experience the highest rate of sheltered homelessness, almost four times more then white men and two times more than black men.

Desperate, I had a something very few have, someone who had absolute trust in me. My mother. So, I had to ask my 76-years-old mother to take responsibility for 40-years-old me, when I should be independent. She co-signed an apartment so that I could have somewhere to live. In the two years I have lived there I have never been late on my rent, never had a complaint, and I have some great relationships with my neighbors. I am blessed. My building is safe, it is clean, and I love where I live. But now, I’m at a fork in the road and must make an impossible choice. I am now engaged and ready to conquer the next milestone in my life, but my fiancé is formally incarcerated and because of that we have maintained separate addresses. I have not been able to plan or even think about my wedding because I will have to leave the home I love and I have built for myself. In the last four months I have visited serval properties but even with a job, good credit, and a spotless record where I live, not one landlord has been willing to rent to both of us.

My number one priority in my reintegration was to become independent and set an example for the girls coming behind me that change is possible, but I am not independent. Without my mom I would be homeless. I ask the members of the housing committee, have any of you been faced with the choice: leave your home where you feel safe or marry the person you love and face housing insecurity? Because of a poor choice I made 27 years ago, and in my fiancés case 10 years ago, that’s the situation we are in.

Housing is a basic human right, and a criminal record does not strip you of your humanity. I ask that the members of the Housing Committee support HB 5242 to eliminate barriers to housing for people living with a criminal record.

Thank you for your time.

My name is Lori LeDonne, I live in Shelton, and I am a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut. I am here today to testify in support of House Joint Resolution 171, which is to Proposing An Amendment To The State Constitution To Revise Requirements Relating To The Offering Of Bail.

Building a system of justice based on a person’s ability to buy their freedom, or learn that freedom is too expensive, is deeply unjust, unfair, inequitable, and immoral.

In 2017 I was part of a tragic accident that led to my involvement in the criminal legal system. I was asked by the police to turn myself in and promised that my bail would be set at $5,000. I went with a bondsman and $500, which was 10% of the $5,000. But when we arrived the police arrested me for an additional charge (they lied to me) and my bail was increased to $105,000.

I could not afford that and was sent to York Correctional Institution, where I spent the next three years of my life.

Most frustrating and alarming to me was that I was in a drug program and had just gotten clean. But when I went into York that interrupted my program, and there was no help or resources to assist in my recovery in the high bond building, with stricter rules that I was housed in before even being convicted. I believed my family could have scraped enough money together to buy my freedom, but I did not think that was fair.

When I learned that I was facing a potential 25-year sentence, I did not want to pay for my release only to be potentially reincarcerated later and have the time I already served be “dead time” that wouldn’t count toward my sentence.

When I went to court it was like a media circus show. I was able to wear some of the clothes from when I was arrested, but they hadn’t been worn or washed in weeks. The prison lost my shirt so I had to borrow one from another woman. I looked like a mess when I was brought into the courtroom, in addition to being handcuffed and shackled, which of course I would not have been if I had afforded bail.

After six months of being incarcerated, my attorney and the prosecutor agreed to a deal that would have let me plead no-contest to my charge, but then the Judge rejected the deal moments before my sentencing.  I was scared to death because I was facing a 25-year sentence. I was FORCED to accept a plea deal, and out of fear, plead guilty. I was sentenced to 2, 10 year charges, to be served concurrently  - 3 to serve and 7 special parole for each charge.

The reason I want to share my story is because I believe I could have defended myself in a much more effective way if I had not been incarcerated. I could have continued my recovery and the drug program I had begun. I could have better participated in working with my attorney.

I could have remained in better communication with my family, and we could have been better prepared for the sentence I received. But none of that was possible with my bail set at six figures. That’s not justice, it isn’t right, and we need to create a better system. I urge the members of the Judiciary Committee to support HJ 171 and thank you all for listening to my testimony.

(1) H.B. 5127, An Act Requiring a Needs Assessment for the Delivery of Postsecondary Education Programs in Prisons

My name is Luis Mattei Jr. I was incarcerated in this state from 2002 - 2022. I am a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU and served as Co-chair of the Programs & Delivery models working group on the New England Commission for the Future of Higher Education in  Prison. I am here to testify in support of House Bill #5127, An Act Requiring Needs Assessment for the Delivery of Postsecondary Education Programs in Prison.

For the first 15 years of my incarceration, the only educational options we had after attaining our GED’s were to either enroll in a vocational program that offered no certification or pay exorbitant out-of-pocket costs to earn a correspondence degree from an unaccredited, predatory institution. With the implementation of the Second Chance Pell Experiment as well as the dedication of grassroots organizations, the landscape shifted - and so did my trajectory.

I live by the mantra that you should take full advantage of opportunities, because you never know who God puts you in a room with. I am a free man today due to the effect postsecondary education had upon my life. In 2022, the last 10 years of my sentence was commuted due in part to the hard work and opportunities I was afforded in those classrooms.

Education is powerful. I saw firsthand how it transformed our cell block discussions from the basic, day-to-day monotony to conversations and debates about the origins of human nature and our collective capacity. Spades tables turned to study groups as we grappled with dense texts and the nuances of Latin. I have seen the potential of education.

Do you want safer institutions? Offer Postsecondary education. If you want to see reincarceration rates drastically drop; offer more degree paths. Do you desire safer streets with active change agents operating in your communities? All we need is the opportunity, and it starts with education.

The current iteration of this bill requires the D.O.C to conduct its own internal needs assessment without considering the voices of anyone who is actually in the classroom. Their main objective is custodial in nature; Safety and security govern their policies. Students on the inside often face ridicule from the department’s employees. Snide comments such as: “So all my kid has to do to get into Yale is kill someone.” are heard far too often. My time with the Commission unveiled how far behind CT is when it comes to progressive education delivery. Is this the culture we want assessing our needs?

I recommend that this assessment be conducted by the HEP programs that operate within our facilities. No one can tell you what they need more than the students and teachers themselves. The D.O.C.’s contribution ought to be assessing their own capacity. They are too far removed from the actual classroom to know what it is the students need

In closing, I ask that this bill be amended to allow the HEP programs to take a leadership role in this assessment then passed during this session so we can transform the trajectory of many more citizens and residents before their return.

(2) H.B. 5242, An Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Record on Housing Opportunities

My name is Luis Mattei Jr. I am a resident of Waterbury. I was incarcerated in this state from 2002 - 2022. I am a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU, an advocate and consultant for Second Chance Educational Alliance, founder of The Freedom Group LLc, and for the past year, I was a researcher for the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network. I am here to testify in support of House Bill 5242, An Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Record on Housing Opportunities.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, Connecticut's incarceration rate is 394 per 100,000 residents - a higher rate than most democratic countries. According to Office of Policy management statistics, the racial breakdown of the prison population is as follows: 43% are listed as black,  26% are listed as hispanic, and 30% are identified as white. However, I've combed through the data from the office of policy management while also knowing the people on the inside and approximately 47% of those listed as white are either hispanic, latino, caribbean, or South American whom do not identify as white, bringing the actual percentage of incarcerated white people in this state to 16%.

This data highlights the truly disparate impact of current policies in this state upon black and brown communities. Formerly incarcerated Connecticut residents face over 550 unethical, yet legal barriers to meeting their basic needs. There is no reason that someone with steady employment, a qualifying credit score, and the necessary deposit should be denied housing or need a co-signer due to a mistake they made over five or more years ago that most likely stemmed from untreated trauma. 

The lack of equal protections for formerly incarcerated people in this state has created an overwhelmingly black and brown caste of “untouchables” that struggle to meet their basic needs despite having the necessary resources. Past irresponsible and uninformed legislation cultivated this culture. Fear-mongering, pejorative language in past policies led us to the “f” on our records being our scarlet letter. As we push forward with this bill, we must be mindful of our language. It’s been argued that we need to “convince these landlords to take a risk.” What is the risk? Is it liability? Because the legal exposure is no different than it would be for any other resident. 

We keep looking to the German and Nordic models of incarceration and rehabilitation as our exemplars, yet we fail to recognize that their residents are welcomed by society once their debt is paid. That public culture is developed in rooms like this. We must change the narrative.

Our neighbors in New York recently removed the word “inmate” from their lexicon in an effort to acknowledge the personhood of its incarcerated residents. What will you do to affirm our humanity? Passing House Bill 5242 is a step in the right direction. Let’s not make it our last. Thank you.

(1) S.B. 143, An Act Concerning Just Cause Evictions and S.B. 145: An Act Appropriating Funds For the Homeless Response System

My name is Manuel Sandoval, I am a member of the ACLU-CT Smart Justice Campaign, and I am here to testify in support of Senate Bill 143, An Act Concerning Just Cause Evictions.

Housing discrimination, redlining, racism, oppression, exclusionary tactics, and segregation have been pervasive issues in American history that have had long-lasting impacts on the disenfranchised, disconnected and marginalized communities. The discriminatory practices and policies implemented through redlining and housing segregation have perpetuated inequalities, restricted access to housing opportunities, and exacerbated economic disparities for minority populations. These injustices have undermined the fundamental human rights to safe, affordable, and non-discriminatory housing for all people.

I ask this committee, are we really going to continue to be on the wrong side of history forever?  Things are changing.  The time is now that we start to change history and the status quo.  We must correct the errors of those that came before us by saying no to racism, exclusion, and outright greed.  We must end the abuse of our fellow man by saying yes to affordable housing and human rights.  We must put a stop to letting the greed of corporate America and well-off individuals destroy the fabric of families and neighborhoods, destroyed by those who see an opportunity to revert to segregation, redlining and gentrification through the veil of inflation.

Throughout history, marginalized communities, particularly African American, Latino and other communities of color, have faced systemic barriers to accessing quality housing due to discriminatory practices and policies. Redlining systematically denied mortgage loans and housing opportunities to people based on their race or ethnicity, reinforced segregation, concentrated poverty, and limited upward mobility for minority groups in cities across the United States, including in here in Connecticut.

Given this historical context, it is evident that housing is indeed a human rights issue that warrants comprehensive legislative support. Access to safe, affordable, and non-discriminatory housing is a fundamental human right that fosters social equity, promotes economic stability, and enhances overall well-being for individuals and communities. Legislation like SB 143 would help by limiting the “just because” attitude that is ruining families, increasing homelessness, and devasting communities.  Your support SB 143 would help address housing discrimination, promote fair housing practices, and combat the new redlining and segregation tactic.  Your support is essential to rectifying historical injustices, advancing social justice, and ensuring that all individuals have equal opportunities to secure housing and thrive in inclusive communities.

Your support would build upon this foundation and continue legislative efforts to address systemic inequalities, dismantle discriminatory barriers, and promote equitable access to housing as a human right and advance social justice for all people. By supporting legislation that aims to combat housing discrimination, redlining, racism, and segregation, we can work towards creating inclusive, diverse, and thriving communities where everyone has the opportunity to access safe and affordable housing without fear of discrimination or exclusion based on race, ethnicity, or other protected characteristics.

Just cause eviction protections are a common-sense policy that confronts our housing affordability crisis head-on by preventing wrongful evictions and promoting housing stability. Everyone deserves access to safe and affordable housing, including justice- impacted people. The ACLU-CT strongly supports Senate Bill 143 and encourages this Committee to do the same.

We also support SB 145. Connecticut is facing an unprecedented surge in homelessness so we have to strengthen and stabilize the Homeless Response System.

(2) S.B. 1093, An Act Implementing The Recommendations Of The Juvenile Justice Policy And Oversight Committee

My name is Manuel Sandoval, I am a resident of New Britain, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut. I am testifying in support of SB 1093, An Act Implementing The Recommendations Of The Juvenile Justice Policy And Oversight Committee.

Over the past 10 years I’ve worked with young people from the ages of 11 to 24 in a variety of settings, often in school systems. All too often I have witnessed young people traumatized on a regular basis by police officers and SROs within school systems in Hartford and New Britain. This is not to say that SROs are bad people or looking to traumatize our students, but their presence has much of the same effects on school communities as municipal and state policing have on the broader community. I believe that we should reinvest money that has been dedicated to in-school policing to programs that are actually designed to help young people thrive, like alternatives to suspension or expulsion, decreasing class sizes, and providing effective and sufficient mental health resources.

Senate Bill 1093 takes a number of important steps towards these goals. First, it requires school district with disproportionately high suspensions and expulsions to make an improvement plan to decrease punishments until the rates are no longer disproportionately high. Second, it sets in motion a plan to cap classroom sizes, which will likely result in better educational outcomes. Third, it provides each board of education additional resources related to mental illness and suicide

As a vested adult from communities much like the young people SB 1093 would impact, I myself have included the adversities and displacement effects that many traumatized young people have experienced within their schools. We have become victims of systemic and institutionalized trauma created by the very same systems meant to nurture and protect young people.

This legislature must take steps to address the root problems of violence through methods that do not increase policing for young people. Their safety, security and support should come from a caring adult who understands their needs, so I support SB 1093, and urge this Committee to do the same. Thank you for listening to my testimony today.

(3) H.B. 5242, An Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Record on Housing Opportunities

My name is Manuel Sandoval, I live in New Britain, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Leader with ACLU Smart Justice Campaign. I am testifying in support of House Bill 5242, An Act Concerning The Collateral Consequences Of Criminal Records On Housing Opportunities.

Why must those of us who have paid our debts to society continue to beg for basic rights such as housing and employment? Are we to be forever relegated to the margins of society, deemed unworthy and undeserving of equal opportunities? The ethos of "do the crime, do the time" should not be synonymous with a lifetime of disenfranchisement and destitution.

A judge's sentence encompasses the offense, the term of incarceration, and the state's prescribed punishment—nothing more. When a person has completed their sentence they have earned the right to be able to move on with their life. Yet, why do we find ourselves repeatedly advocating for the most basic of human needs, such as housing and employment, during each legislative session? Where is the justice in this ongoing struggle for dignity and inclusion? When will the damnation into exile ever end?

As an individual who has undergone personal transformation, dedicated myself to education, community upliftment, and civic engagement, I am deeply troubled by the persistent use of discrimination, redlining, and exclusionary practices that continue to disenfranchise and oppress people of color. These systemic injustices not only undermine our fundamental human rights to safe, affordable housing but also perpetuate cycles of poverty and social inequality. I implore the members of this committee to reflect on our history marred by institutional discrimination and exclusionary tactics. From the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Black Codes during Reconstruction, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and the ignoble era of Jim Crow Laws, which entrenched racial segregation and promoted white supremacy, our nation's past is fraught with injustices perpetrated against marginalized communities.

It is imperative that we shift our paradigm and embrace a more humane approach. Housing is not a privilege but a fundamental human right essential for fostering social equity, economic stability, and overall well-being within our communities. House Bill 5242 represents a pivotal step towards dismantling the barriers that impede the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals into society.

We must divest from harmful and costly institutions and invest in robust, community-based solutions that provide comprehensive support to those who have paid their debts to society. I urge you, esteemed members of the committee, to lend your support to House Bill 5242 and stand on the right side of history.

Thank you for your time, attention, and consideration of these critical matters.

(1) H.B. 5127, An Act Requiring a Needs Assessment for the Delivery of Postsecondary Education Programs in Prisons

My name is Abraham Santiago. I am representing myself as a formerly incarcerated person who benefited from higher education in prison, and the ACLU of Connecticut in support of House Bill 5127: An Act Requiring a Needs Assessment for the Delivery of Postsecondary Educations Programs in Prison.

This bill is a first step but does not go far enough and does not make room for the voices of the incarcerated and the formerly incarcerated. What would a needs assessment be without the voices of the people in need? Nothing in here talks about the importance of our voices. A lot of us have been in the background for decades while advocating, building programs, teaching and helping write policy. Some historical perspective: In 1994, the so-called Crime Bill was passed. Among its other evils, tucked in the legislation was a provision that stripped access to higher education for the imprisoned, which we KNOW has long been a proven tool in reducing reincarceration. Thus, the government still has a long way to go to provide tools and training to reverse the methods it funded in the past.

But not having our voices at the table excludes not only an incredibly important voice but expertise based on actual lived experience.

The DOC is wholly unfamiliar with the process of education behind bars and could benefit and learn that the most powerful and informed voice in this conversation is that of the person on the inside. They’d understand that the voices of people inside have a perspective that is vital to the success of higher education programming behind bars, which translates into success on the outside.

I sat on the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison, a MIT, Educational Justice Institute, and New England Board of Higher Education project. The CT DOC was also a part of the Commission along with the heads of DOCs across New England’s six states.

Among its most important recommendations, I believe THIS should be our goal:

CT should create a formal multi-stakeholder group -- that includes us, the incarcerated, and formerly incarcerated -- to “develop a detailed, multi-year ‘state prison education strategic plan,’ a plan that considers existing programs, staff, resources, and infrastructure, and then charts a path to expanding student-centered postsecondary and career pathways. The plans should lay a foundation for sustained state investment and include an annual progress report.”[1]

It’s progressive. It’s forward-thinking. It will save taxpayers money. It will reduce prison populations. It’s doable. If there’s the will.

I, and the ACLU-CT support House Bill 5127, and encourage this Committee to do the same.

I’d like to enter our final report Partnerships for Progress in New England: A Student-Centered Approach To Higher Education In Prison, completed June 2023

(1) H.B. 5055, An Act Concerning Self-Defense, Defense Of A Third Person And Assisting In Or Affecting An Arrest As Affirmative Defenses

My name is Terri Ricks, I am a resident of Hartford, a mentor to young at-risk people, and a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut. I am here to testify in support of HB 5055, An Act Concerning Self-Defense, Defense of a Third Person and Assisting in or Affecting an Arrest as Affirmative Defense.

I want to thank the committee for raising this bill for a public hearing and share a story about what I experienced and why this bill is important to me. On September 24, 1991, I was in a club celebrating with my friends before I was going to be deployed for Desert Storm. It was crowded in the club and I accidentally stepped on a man’s foot. I apologized to him, but then he hit me several times. At first I was shocked, then I defensively hit him back. Before anything else could happen, he fired a gun through his coat and shot me in the stomach. My friend Stephanie was with me and immediately jumped on the man to prevent him from continuing to shoot. It was a chaotic moment. The man who shot me was able to get away and went on the run. Stephanie stayed by my side. One thing about the women in Hartford: if we’re coming together, we’re leaving together. But unfortunately, Stephanie was later arrested by the police for assaulting the man who shot me and for conspiracy because the police couldn’t figure out what had happened. Stephanie was incarcerated for three days while I was in the hospital. Her charges were eventually dismissed because the man who shot me was gone, but it was still unfair and wrong.

Jail was not the right place for Stephanie, or for anyone who sees something wrong being done to another person and comes to their aid. You want the public to help the police, but then arrest and incarcerate them when they do?

At some point life is going to force us all to pick a side. How can doing good by another human lead to arrest, jail and a criminal record? That doesn’t make sense. It causes people to second-guess helping their neighbors and fellow citizens.

If a person is arrested in the act of coming to another person’s defense, then there should be an option for a judge to dismiss a person’s charge. Rather than making a person go through months of court dates, perhaps a diversionary program and possibly a conviction, there needs to be an option for the judge to dismiss the charge. And when it comes to HB 5505, it is important to note that this is in regard to situations where people are acting with the intent to protect another person, not with the intent to harm another person. So I urge the members of the Judiciary Committee to support HB 5505 and thank you for listening to my testimony.

(2) H.B. 5381, An Act Concerning the Use of Police Body-Worn Recording Equipment

My name is Terri Ricks, I live in Hartford, and I am a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut. I am here to testify in support of House Bill 5381, An Act Concerning the Use of Police Body-Worn Recording Equipment.

I have to describe an experience I once had: it was a 90-degree day and my friends and I were driving down to the beach. We were pulled over by the police in downtown Hartford for absolutely no reason, we were ordered out of the car, told to lay down on the ground, and the officers started yelling at us. They kept us on the ground for 10 minutes, and it was so frustrating and embarrassing because we had done nothing wrong and there was no reason for the police to be treating us this way. Eventually they released us, and we were able to continue on to the beach, but it was not the same. The police had done that to embarrass us, to demonstrate power, to show they had the upper hand. But how could I prove it without a body camera and the audio of what the police said to us?

Another example was once when we were in Sands, which is a housing complex on Main Street in the North End, and police showed up in the city buses. The police body-slammed us onto our cars, handcuffed us and tried to question us. They were trying to get some information out of me, but even more it was like they were trying to antagonize me with profanity and threats and demeaning insults. The police sat us on the curb like we were show ponys, like we were on a stage because they were trying to embarrass us in front of our community. There was no reason to do it except for their own satisfaction and to instill dominance. But I could never prove it because it would have been my word against their word, and the police officer’s word is always going to be taken over mine. And this was not an unusual event. This was part of our daily lives.

This bill is important to me because if body cameras are truly going to be effective tools for oversight, transparency and most importantly trying to establish community trust (if that will ever be possible), they have to be paired with policies and procedures that accomplish those goals. Otherwise, they risk becoming just another surveillance device that records some things but not all things.

That’s like writing a book with no narrative, or a movie without a script. A story can’t be told with eyesight alone. We can’t understand the story without the voices.

If you’re not doing anything wrong, if it’s being done by the book, why should it have to be done in secrecy? We should all be able to see and hear what is going on. Otherwise, we can only assume that something is being hidden.

HB 5381 would require the police to review their training programs on the use of body-cameras and recording equipment, and to update their guidelines to include the circumstance under which police officer shall not mute their body cameras. I support HB 5381 and urge the members of this committee to do the same.

(3) H.B. 5242, An Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Record on Housing Opportunities

My name is Terri Ricks, I am a resident of Hartford and a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut. I am a person who has been directly impacted by homelessness due to housing challenges. I am an individual who is here speaking and fighting for change while living for the last three-and-a-half years in a hotel due to housing challenges. Every day has been a fight, but nothing has been a fight as tough as being free from prison in 2005, and after completing changing my life, housing still eludes me to this day. So today I am here strongly asking for your support for HB 5242, An Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Records on Housing Opportunities.

One of the most challenging and hurtful obstacles that people face is housing discrimination. No matter how many years have gone by, no matter how qualified a person may be, no matter how good their credit score is, no matter that they’ve always paid their rent, finding housing is still an obstacle. This makes folks who have rebuilt their lives feel that the door continues to be slammed in their faces. Giving an opportunity to people who have done their time and paid their debt to society is and should be a right, not the luck of the draw. The opportunity is not the risky proposition that some would have you believe. The risk falls within not allowing people to have a second opportunity at integration back into their communities. That begins with helping individuals find safe and secure housing. I’ve been in a fight for survival, but it’s not about me. I’m in this fight to save lives. HB 5242 has been a fight for survival for each and everyone affected by the collateral consequences of living with a criminal record. So once again, I respectfully ask and urge the members of the Housing Committee to support HB 5242.

Thank you for listening to my testimony and I welcome any questions you may have.

My name is William Roberts, I am a resident of Hartford, a Residential Operations Supervisor at the Friendship Service Center in New Britain, and a Smart Justice Leader with the ACLU of Connecticut. I am here to testify in support of HB 5242: An Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Records on Housing Opportunities.

First off, I would like to say that housing is not just a basic need, but a human right. We believe that once a person has finished their sentence, they should be afforded the same basic rights as other members of society. Not just access to jobs and education, but most importantly housing. As of right now the list of requirements just to get access to housing has increased over the years with very little oversight on the impact it is causing. From extreme rent increases forcing out low wage hard working people, to people forking over hundreds of dollars a month in credit background checks and criminal histories. In some of these cases charges that show no disposition, even if those charges are dismissed.

A couple of weeks ago a resident where I work was filled with anxiety after a charge popped on their credit report. Even though this person’s charge was dropped after two weeks, they had to explain to the potential landlord why it was even there. Other residents where I work are also facing an uphill battle due to prior criminal records. From getting jobs, to not being able to afford rent prices after they do find one, to getting discriminated against because of a criminal history even after finding an apartment they can actually afford.

Although I have an apartment, have paid my rent faithfully for the last 5 years, no evictions, I know especially in this housing crisis of high rents, increase in no-cause evictions, I can easily be displaced from a community I have called home for over 13 years.

I urge the members of the Housing Committee to support HB 5242 and put people over business interests, but most of all because housing is a human right.