OFFICE OF FISCAL ANALYSIS
Legislative Office Building, Room 5200
Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 240-0200
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa
sSB-1502
AN ACT CONCERNING SENTENCE REDUCTION OR RELIEF FOR
SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT,
STALKING OR HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
Primary Analyst: RP 4/22/25
Contributing Analyst(s): BP
Reviewer: PR
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 26 $ FY 27 $
Department of Correction (Board
of Pardons and Parole)
GF - Cost 283,127 -
512,137
566,253 -
1,024,273
State Comptroller - Fringe
Benefits
1
GF - Cost 132,815 -
239,646
265,630 -
479,292
Correction, Dept. GF - Potential
Savings
Minimal Minimal
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill, which allows certain survivors of domestic violence, sexual
assault, stalking, or human trafficking to be eligible for sentence
reduction or modification and expands such survivors' parole and
commutation eligibility, results in (1) a cost of $283,127 to $512,137 in FY
26 and $566,253 to $1,024,273 in FY 27 to the Board of Pardons and
Paroles, (2) a cost of $132,815 to $239,646 in FY 26 and $265,630 to
$479,292 in FY 27 to the State Comptroller – Fringe Benefits, and (3) a
potential savings to the Department of Correction (DOC) for
incarceration beginning in FY 26. On average, the marginal savings to
1
The fringe benefit costs for most state employees are budgeted centrally in accounts
administered by the Comptroller. The estimated active employee fringe benefit cost
associated with most personnel changes is 40.71% of payroll in FY 26. The estimated
active hazardous duty employee fringe benefit cost is 49.15% of payroll in FY 26. 2025SB-01502-R000742-FN.DOCX Page 2 of 3
the state for incarcerating an offender for the year is $3,300.
2
The extent
to which current law already allows such survivors to obtain sentencing
relief may mitigate the impact to DOC. All FY 26 costs reflect the bill's
partial year implementation.
The cost to the Board of Pardons and Paroles is dependent on how
many additional hearings are required to accommodate the increase in
parole applications resulting from this bill. There are estimated to be at
least 2,000 inmates who would be eligible to apply for parole under this
bill. If these inmates submit applications that meet the bill's evidentiary
requirements, the board is required to hold a parole hearing within 120
days. To accommodate these additional hearings, the board may be
required to hire 5 to 10 additional parole officers,
3
one Parole and
Community Services Supervisor,
4
and one to two office assistants.
5
Additionally, it may not be feasible to meet the bill's hearing deadlines
without an increase to the statutory number of board members;
although, all five part-time member positions are currently vacant.
Equipment expenses for these positions are estimated to be between
$17,500 and $32,500 annually.
The bill also establishes various reporting requirements for the Board
of Pardons and Paroles and the Judicial Department which are not
expected to result in a fiscal impact.
2
Inmate marginal savings is based on decreased consumables (e.g., food, clothing,
water, sewage, living supplies, etc.) This does not include a reduction in staffing costs
or other utility expenses because these would only be realized if a unit or facility
closed.
3
These officers are generally assigned to correctional facilities and will interview
applicants, conduct risk assessments, and complete comprehensive summaries that
provide board members with information regarding an applicant’s criminal, social,
and correctional history, as well as details of their current offense(s). The annual salary
for a parole officer is $78,931.
4
The Parole Supervisor is responsible for re-calculating eligibility, certifying case files,
assigning cases to institutional parole officers, reviewing interview information, and
scheduling hearings. The annual salary for this position is $105,733.
5
The office assistants process and gather necessary documents prior to the hearings,
send out notifications of the hearings, and producing minutes after the hearings. The
annual salary for an office assistant is $48,365. 2025SB-01502-R000742-FN.DOCX Page 3 of 3
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to number of survivors granted relief
under this bill. The number of inmates eligible for parole hearings under
this bill is expected to decrease after the first year but will remain higher
than the current level.