It had to happen. With the legislature convening for a special session yesterday, state Republicans attempted to introduce criminal justice reform bills in the wake of the Cheshire killings. Democrats steadfastly refused.

The Republican push for votes in both chambers is an early effort to brand the GOP as the force behind any Cheshire reforms and the Democrats as culpable if nothing happens.

“No question about it, we’re saying it is our issue,” said Sen. David Cappiello, R-Danbury.

As opposed to, you know, the citizens of the state. Which, by the way, includes these “criminals”. I think the legislature has a responsibility to these “criminals” as well as to victims to make sure they do not pass faulty legislation which casts too wide a net.

House Republicans made it clear Thursday evening that they were ready to adopt a mandatory life sentence for three-time felons, without hearings or waiting on the governor’s task force.

They tried to amend the contracting-standards bill with a provision imposing the “three strikes” penalty, as well as tougher penalties for burglary.

The amendment was flawed, imposing a mandatory life sentence for a third conviction for armed robbery, but not murder.

Heh. I’ll let that speak for itself.

Sen. Andrew J. McDonald, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said lawmakers are working on changes. His panel recently held a public hearing where experts recommended that the legislature move “slowly, deliberately, but with purpose.”

I think it’s inevitable that the legislature will pass some form of a “three strikes law” and having resigned myself to that eventuality, I can only hope that it is very limited in its scope.

Related Posts with Thumbnails