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Senate Bill 1502 states, “An act concerning sentence reduction or relief for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking” would allow prosecutors, judges and parole boards to consider if evidence shows a person’s domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking was a contributing factor in the commission of their crime.

New York, Oklahoma and Illinois have already enacted similar laws, while Massachusetts is considering a similar bill.

The second bill, Senate Bill 1505, states, “An act allowing court discretion to add a family violence component to the pretrial supervised diversionary program for persons with psychiatric disabilities requires the Court Support Services Division to determine if a person has the capacity to participate in domestic violence treatment – either in concurrence with or following the completion of mental health treatment – in cases involving a family violence crime.”

“We urge your support of Senate Bill 1502, which helps prevent further harm to criminalized survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking and stalking by ensuring that their victimization can be considered when determining a fair sentence for crimes that they have committed,” said Zahria Cooper of the Prudence Crandall Center.

“Unfortunately, for some survivors, the harm does not end when the abuse stops,” Cooper said. “They may become entangled in the criminal justice system for offenses that were a direct result of their victimization – whether through coercion, self-defense or survival-related crimes. Connecticut’s current laws do not always allow the impact of these experiences to be fully considered at sentencing, leading to prison terms and legal consequences that needlessly compound a survivor’s suffering.” State Sen. Mae Flexer co-sponsors the bill, which is the work of the state’s Domestic Violence Criminal Justice and Enhancement Advisory Council.

“There’s been too much inconsistency in pretrial programs across the state when it comes to mental health treatment and domestic violence treatment,” Flexer said. “It doesn’t have to be either-or, and that’s what we’re asking the criminal justice system to focus more on with Senate Bill 1505.”

Flexer added a majority of the women incarcerated for felonies have had some sort of domestic violence, whether it be sexual assault, stalking or a trafficking incident in their lives, and that is not taken into account when a woman is sentenced for a crime. She believes the bill will correct that.

“Courts take a lot of things into consideration before sentencing: age, past criminal record, mental capacity, cooperation with authorities – a variety of things,” Flexer said. “Connecticut needs to codify in its own statutes that if domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other such personal horrors were a contributing factor in the commission of a crime, the sentence needs to be reduced. We shouldn’t be further punishing the victims of such abuse who may have been literally fighting for their lives.”

If the court finds evidence of any of the contributing factors, it must depart from conventional sentencing guidelines for the applicable offense and apply a penalty that is half the normal.

The Board of Pardon and Parole would also have the option of considering that same evidence for people who are already incarcerated and have served at least half of their sentence and would consider them for parole at their discretion, as long as the release is “not incompatible with the welfare of society.”

Both bills received public hearings Monday before the Judiciary Committee.

If any of those were a contributing factor, their prison sentence times would typically range from three to 60 years and be cut in half. Under these new bills, those who are already in prison under such circumstances and have served at least half their sentence could become eligible for immediate parole.

New York, Oklahoma and Illinois have already enacted similar laws, while Massachusetts is considering a similar bill.

If the court finds evidence of any of the contributing factors, it must depart from conventional sentencing guidelines for the applicable offense and apply a penalty that is half the normal.

The Board of Pardon and Parole would also have the option of considering that same evidence for people who are already incarcerated and have served at least half of their sentence and would consider them for parole at their discretion, as long as the release is “not incompatible with the welfare of society.”

“We urge your support of Senate Bill 1502, which helps prevent further harm to criminalized survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking and stalking by ensuring that their victimization can be considered when determining a fair sentence for crimes that they have committed,” said Zahria Cooper of the Prudence Crandall Center.

The center provides safety planning, shelter, court-based advocacy and transportation services to domestic violence survivors in Berlin, Bristol, Burlington, Kensington, New Britain, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Terryville.

“Unfortunately, for some survivors, the harm does not end when the abuse stops,” Cooper said. “They may become entangled in the criminal justice system for offenses that were a direct result of their victimization – whether through coercion, self-defense or survival-related crimes. Connecticut’s current laws do not always allow the impact of these experiences to be fully considered at sentencing, leading to prison terms and legal consequences that needlessly compound a survivor’s suffering.”

Items donated to the cause include new socks (all sizes), new underwear (all sizes), twin size pillow sheets, new pillows, new towels, laundry detergent, new cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, baby wipes, new pajamas (all sizes), diapers, children’s clothing (new), and winter apparel (new.)

Carlson got the idea to collect donations from a family friend who volunteers with the shelter. She said that she was driven to help out people affected by domestic violence because she cares a lot about her community. She’s looking to make a difference early on in her life for people who have gone through hardships. 

“I care a lot about my community and women’s empowerment,” Carlson said. “Although I do not have a personal connection with domestic violence within my family, I want to make a difference for those who experience it.” 

Berlin volleyball coach Jim Bagley thinks it’s great that Carlson is getting involved with her local community at a young age and hopes some of his younger players will do similar acts. 

“It’s great to see her getting involved,” said Bagley. “Any time you get a student-athlete involved like that, it increases their understanding of the world around them. She also is a great role model for all the younger kids in the program. They see her doing things for the community and maybe some of them get involved as well.”

Following Monday’s match against Lewis Mills, Carlson will start to bring the items to the Prudence Crandall Center the same week.

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