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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 5526
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 3929
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
Introduced by:
(JUD)
AN ACT CONCERNING GOOD TIME CREDITS AND THE EARNED
RISK REDUCTION CREDI T PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 18-7a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b) [and (c)] to (d), inclusive, 3
of this section, any person sentenced to a term of imprisonment, on 4
and after October 1, 1976, and while still serving such sentence 5
whether such sentence is for a definite, indefinite or indeterminate 6
term, and regardless of the institution wherein the prisoner is confined 7
may, by good conduct and obedience to the rules which have been 8
established for the service of his sentence, earn a commutation or 9
diminution of his sentence in the amount of ten days for each month, 10
and pro rata for a part of a month, of a sentence which is for not more 11
than five years, and fifteen days for each month, and pro rata for a part 12
of a month, for the sixth and each subsequent year of a sentence of 13
more than five years. In the case of an indeterminate sentence, such 14
credit shall apply to both the minimum and maximum term. In the 15
case of an indefinite sentence, such credit shall apply to the maximum 16 Committee Bill No. 5526
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term only. Any act of misconduct or refusal to obey the rules which 17
have been established for the service of his sentence shall subject the 18
prisoner to the loss of all or any portion of such credit by the 19
commissioner or his designee. 20
(b) Except as provided in [subsection (c)] subsections (c) and (d) of 21
this section, any person sentenced to a term of imprisonment for an 22
offense committed on or after July 1, 1981, may, while held in default 23
of bond or while serving such sentence, by good conduct and 24
obedience to the rules which have been established for the service of 25
his sentence, earn a reduction of his sentence in the amount of ten days 26
for each month and pro rata for a part of a month of a sentence up to 27
five years, and twelve days for each month and pro rata for a part of a 28
month for the sixth and each subsequent year of a sentence which is 29
more than five years. Misconduct or refusal to obey the rules which 30
have been established for the service of his sentence shall subject the 31
prisoner to the loss of all or any portion of such reduction by the 32
commissioner or his designee. 33
(c) [Any] Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, any 34
person sentenced to a term of imprisonment for an offense committed 35
on or after July 1, 1983, may, while held in default of bond or while 36
serving such sentence, by good conduct and obedience to the rules 37
which have been established for the service of his sentence, earn a 38
reduction of his sentence as such sentence is served in the amount of 39
ten days for each month served and pro rata for a part of a month 40
served of a sentence up to five years, and twelve days for each month 41
served and pro rata for a part of a month served for the sixth and each 42
subsequent year of a sentence which is more than five years. 43
Misconduct or refusal to obey the rules which have been established 44
for the service of his sentence shall subject the prisoner to the loss of all 45
or any portion of such reduction by the commissioner or his designee. 46
In the event a prisoner has not yet earned sufficient good time to 47
satisfy the good time loss, such lost good time shall be deducted from 48
any good time earned in the future by such prisoner. 49 Committee Bill No. 5526
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(d) On and after the effective date of this section, no person may 50
earn good time pursuant to this section. Any person who, prior to the 51
effective date of this section, was eligible to earn good time pursuant to 52
the provisions of this section, may, on or after the effective date of this 53
section, earn credits pursuant to the provisions of section 18-98e, as 54
amended by this act, provided such person is otherwise eligible to earn 55
such credits. Any good time credits earned prior to the effective date of 56
this section may be used to reduce a person's sentence in accordance 57
with subsection (a), (b) or (c) of this section, as applicable, except as 58
may be lost pursuant to the provisions of this section. Nothing in this 59
subsection shall invalidate the release or parole release of any person 60
pursuant to a sentence reduction earned prior to the effective date of 61
this section. 62
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 18-98e of the general statutes is 63
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 64
passage): 65
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any 66
person sentenced to a term of imprisonment [for a crime committed on 67
or after October 1, 1994,] and committed to the custody of the 68
Commissioner of Correction, [on or after said date,] except a person 69
sentenced for a violation of section 53a-54a, 53a-54b, 53a-54c, 53a-54d, 70
53a-55, 53a-55a, 53a-70a, 53a-70c or 53a-100aa, or who is a persistent 71
dangerous felony offender or persistent dangerous sexual offender 72
pursuant to section 53a-40, may be eligible to earn risk reduction credit 73
toward a reduction of such person's sentence, in an amount not to 74
exceed five days per month, at the discretion of the Commissioner of 75
Correction for conduct as provided in subsection (b) of this section 76
occurring on or after April 1, 2006. 77
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 18-7a
Sec. 2 from passage 18-98e(a) Committee Bill No. 5526
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JUD Joint Favorable