The State of Connecticut

One of a handful of states that operate jails in lieu of local authorities, Connecticut has implemented a number of jail-related reforms, including programs to divert the mentally ill from jail through a community-based release plan, and to help defendants post bail. Under the leadership of Governor Dannel Malloy, the prison population in Connecticut has declined significantly while crime has dropped to a 40-year low. To continue building on past reform efforts, Connecticut was awarded $2.5 million from the Safety and Justice Challenge in 2016 to invest in innovative and commonsense strategies to further reduce the average daily jail population over the next two years.

To address the overuse of jails in Connecticut, the state will implement initiatives in the three largest cities which have the highest rates of custodial arrests and concentration of communities of color: Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven. To address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, the state will expand implicit bias training in all three cities and will undergo an evaluation of current racial and ethnic disparities to establish a baseline for improvement. The Hartford Alternative to Arrest Project will provide alternatives for individuals with mental health, substance abuse, and housing needs, and is anticipated to help 800 individuals avoid jail over the next two years. Additionally, the state will expand its Jail Diversion Substance Abuse program to provide an additional 95 defendants with access to court-based diversion to detox and residential treatment to avoid pretrial detention.

LEAD AGENCY

Connecticut Office of Policy and Management Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division

PARTNERS

Department of Correction, Judicial Branch Courts, Judicial Branch Court Support Services Division, Division of Public Defender Services, Division of Criminal Justice (Prosecutors), Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Forensic Division, Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, City of Bridgeport Police, and the MALTA Justice Initiative.

POPULATION

3,600,000

JAIL CAPACITY

4,684

• The average length of pretrial detention in Connecticut jails is 6 weeks
• In New Haven, African Americans make up 33% of the population but 56% of custodial arrests—and similar disparities exist in Bridgeport and Hartford

• The Collaborative Ongoing Review Team, a pretrial court processing pilot in New Haven, will increase the number of defendants who are diverted to a community based program instead of jail and reduce the length of stay by two weeks
• The Hartford Alternative to Arrest Project will provide screening and referrals to detention alternatives for an anticipated 800 individuals with mental health, substance abuse, and housing needs
• An expanded Jail Diversion Substance Abuse program will provide an additional 95 defendants with access to court-based diversion to detox and residential treatment to avoid pretrial detention

• The State of Connecticut is supported by $2.5 million from the Safety and Justice Challenge over the next two years.