Connecticut
Overview
Policymakers in Connecticut, facing an unprecedented budget deficit and a prison population growing faster than any other state, were presented with two options: release people from prison early or contract with other states for additional prison beds to relieve crowding. Instead they chose a third way — a justice reinvestment strategy. With nearly
unanimous support in the legislature, the state enacted laws that streamlined the parole process for low-risk offenders, addressed the high rate of probation violations, and developed a comprehensive strategy to reduce recidivism.
Almost $13 million of the nearly $30 million saved was reinvested in community-based pilot projects. Probation violations dropped from 400 in July 2003 to 200 in September 2005. The decrease in the prison population over a two-year period was steeper than that seen in almost any other state while the crime rate continued to drop.