http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-report2dec12,0,6967608.story?track=rss
Connecticut Representative Mike Lawlor (-D East haven) is quoted in the above article saying .. "We do not need dramatic change within Connecticut's' judicial system. "In fact, he goes on to say, it works pretty well" and he cautions against "hasty-- and costly reforms. "
This is the Co-Chair of Connecticut's Judiciary Committee folks! Charged with one of the most important jobs given any Representative of this state:In effect, keeping it's citizens safe from crime, particularly violent crime such as befell the Petit family of Cheshire this past July.
This brutal set of crimes, we have come to discover, was a direct result of Connecticut's long-inefficient judicial system, among which the Parole board, is but one culprit. The facts are that
The two career criminals that committed the assaults and murders of Jennifer, Haley and Michaela Rose Petit should have;a) Not been given the many plea deals and accompanying light sentences that they were given for their multitude of felonious crimes committed against the people of Connecticut.
b) never been given early release parole, particularly after the more dangerous of the two offenders (komsarjevsky) had served little more than one third of his original sentence, and the other ( hayes) had served approximately one half-- the latter with multiple violations and write-ups both in prison and halfway house.
And c) once they were so recklessly paroled, the tracking device on Mr Komisarjevsky warranted the more sophisticated gps tracking system by the state, and remianed on his person for an extended time period. His history dictated a life long pattern of thrill seeking night time home invasions, with disconcerting stalking behaviors of his victims, prior to breaking in to thier homes.
The gps device could have served as a clear deterrent to resuming these very dangerous crimes. The day after his plain tracking bracelet WAS removed by the state, Mr Komisarjevsky immediately resumed break ins,this time with Mr hayes in tow, escalating to assault, sexual assault grand larceny and multiple murder.
Nnne of this even begins to address the fact that the Connecticut Parole board had not been in possession of, nor asked for the "prerequisite " sentencing transcripts of either criminals recent sentencing hearings, before making the critical decision to parole these two chronic offenders.
And parole was granted none the less with the offenders in absentia- This reffered to as administrative Parole, is the preffered method of Parole decision in Connecticut. "board decides which prisoners they will release back into our communities albeit rather randomly as it is without benifit of the actual criminal in front of them, and very little of his criminal history for that matter!This lack of essential information sharing,we are now told, has been going on for years purportedly due to unresolved intra-departmental disagreements regarding who is to pick up the copying costs of said records!
Those in the know claim this "oversight" to be classic of many of our Connecticut court's daily Mode of operandi; indifference, laziness and arrogant recklessness.
And while this grave en-masse dereliction of duty doesn't surprise me, a former victim of violent crime and witness to such protocol within our courts, it has surprised and infuriated many voting residents who had wrongly assumed our Judicial system was proficient, if not vigilant, in protecting the public from career criminals like Mr hayes and komisarjevsky.
Mr Lawlors irresponsible words, and moreover, the sentiment that they clearly contain, are decidedly a bad omen for the people of this state. We must let Governor Rell and our legislators know-in no uncertain terms, that this "see no evil, hear no evil" protect the status quo, is no longer acceptable.
How is the already-challenging task of state wide judicial reform to take place when those deigned to oversee this reform are preemptively invalidating the need for such? Simply put, It cant and it wont.
Governor Rell was already in the unenviable position of convincing her Connecticut citizens that her tough words and her special task forces are not merely political analgesic for the masses,thrown together in attempt to assuage the growing fervor over our states recently exposed judicial inefficiencies,
Mr Lawlors words and indeed his posture regarding this crucial issue, are making it difficult to trust that our states commitment to this cause is genuine and complete.
Get out your keyboards your pens and pick up your phones.This issue is a matter of life and death.
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