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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 889
AN ACT CONCERNING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY AND
PLANNING DIVISION AND THE PUBLICATION OF REPORTS AND
PRESENTATIONS BY THE OFFICE OF POLICY AND
MANAGEMENT.
SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes and updates to reporting
requirements of the Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division
(CJPPD) within the Office of Policy Management (OPM).
Principally, the bill:
1. eliminates the requirement for CJPPD to develop a plan to
promote a more effective and cohesive state criminal justice
system and biennially update the Governor and the
Appropriations and Judiciary committees on the plan (§ 1);
2. requires CJPPD to annually track, in its trends and outcomes
reporting system, the recidivism of offenders who received
earned risk reduction credits (§ 3);
3. eliminates a requirement for the CJPPD reporting system to
define outcomes for major programs and annually report them
(§ 3);
4. requires CJPPD to conduct a data analysis of state criminal
justice system trends and annually report the data and analysis
to the Governor and the Judiciary Committee (§ 4);
5. repeals the CJPPD annual report and presentation requirement
on promoting an effective and cohesive criminal justice system
(§ 4);
6. narrows the Criminal Justice Policy Advisory Commission’s 2021SB-00889-R000485-BA.DOCX
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(CJPAC’s) duties by eliminating certain reporting and
presentation requirements and the commission’s full-day
review of the state’s criminal justice system required under
current law (§ 5); and
7. requires OPM to make any CJPPD report or presentation
available on the office’s website, including certain specific
reports (§§ 1-4, 6 & 7).
It also makes technical changes and repeals the OPM urban violence
reduction grant program and certain CJPPD reporting requirements
(§§ 8 & 9).
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2021
§ 3 — TRENDS AND OUTCOMES REPORTING SYSTEM
Annual Connecticut Recidivism Study
Existing law requires CJPPD to develop a reporting system that
tracks trends and outcomes related to policies designed to reduce
prison overcrowding, improve rehabilitation efforts, and enhance
reentry strategies for offenders released from prison.
Current law requires this reporting system to annually track the
recidivism of offenders (1) released from prison; (2) on probation; and
(3) participating in programs designed to reduce prison overcrowding,
improve rehabilitation efforts and enhance reentry strategies for
offenders released from prison. The bill requires the system to also
annually track the recidivism of offenders who received earned risk
reduction credits.
Major Program Outcomes
The bill also eliminates a requirement for the reporting system to
define and annually report outcomes for major programs and delineate
strategies to measure outcomes when information needed to measure a
program’s effectiveness is not yet available.
§ 4 — TRENDS IN CONNECTICU T’S CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
REPORT 2021SB-00889-R000485-BA.DOCX
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The bill requires CJPPD, by October 15 each year, to submit a report
to the Governor and the Judiciary Committee analyzing data on state
criminal justice system trends, including, if available, the number of
reported crimes and arrests and the size of the populations on
probation, parole, special parole, and in prison.
It repeals a requirement under current law for CJPPD to annually
submit a report and make a presentation to the Governor and the
Judiciary and Appropriations committees on the actions needed to
promote an effective and cohesive criminal justice system.
§ 5 — CRIMINAL JUSTICE POL ICY ADVISORY COMMISS ION
(CJPAC)
The bill narrows CJPAC’s duties by eliminating requirements for
the commission to (1) develop a guide on best practices for providing
reentry services and (2) develop and annually update a plan to ensure
the availability of reentry services, including establishing community
reentry centers.
The bill eliminates a requirement that CJPAC report annually to the
governor and the legislature on outcomes achieved under the state’s
reentry strategy and the coordination of information technology
systems used by criminal justice agencies.
It also eliminates a requirement that CJPAC sponsor a full-day
review of the criminal justice system in the state for all members of the
criminal justice community, facilitated by the CJPPD undersecretary.
§§ 1-4, 6 & 7 — REPORTS AVAILABLE ON OPM’S WEBSITE
The bill requires OPM to make any CJPPD report or presentation
available on the office’s website, including the division’s:
1. annual report on the correctional system population projections
for planning purposes (§ 2),
2. monthly report on the reporting system’s tracking and annual
outcome report (§ 3),
3. new annual report containing data analysis of state criminal 2021SB-00889-R000485-BA.DOCX
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justice system trends (§ 4),
4. annual report on the chief public defender’s pilot program to
provide representation at parole revocation hearings (§ 6), and
5. annual report on the prevalence and disposition of traffic stops
and reported complaints (§ 7).
§ 9 — REPEALER
The bill repeals a requirement for OPM, within available
appropriations, to administer an urban violence reduction grant
program. It also repeals requirements for CJPPD to:
1. notify municipalities monthly of outstanding arrest and rearrest
warrants for probation violations;
2. track, analyze, and annually report to the Judiciary Committee
on recidivism rates for children; and
3. report to the legislature quarterly on the use of earned risk
reduction credits.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Judiciary Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 36 Nay 0 (03/29/2021)