On July 23, 2007, Connecticut's heart was broken as the Cheshire tragedy stunned the nation. In swift response, Governor Rell and the legislature committed to a thorough reevaluation of Connecticut's criminal justice policies. "Keeping our people and our communities safe is the most important job of government," Governor Rell said.

In the following months, meetings and informational hearings were held where legislators, the judicial branch, the Chief State's Attorney, the Victim Advocate, and others submitted proposals for how to strengthen criminal justice laws and policies in Connecticut. Finally in December, the legislature voted to hold a January special session on the matter.

While it has not yet been announced, that special session is rumored to be held the week of January 21. Governor Rell has just announced her proposals to be considered involving changes to the penal code, the Board of Pardons and Paroles, victim services, and information systems used by criminal justice agencies. To emphasize their commitment to finding solutions, the Governor's press conference was attended by all legislative leaders.

In his initial comments, Judiciary Chair, Rep. Michael Lawlor (D - East Haven), was cautiously optimistic that a resolution can be reached during the upcoming special session. "Some details need to be vetted to be sure that what we pass will be workable, but I'm fairly confident that we can fix the system when we meet in special session," remarked Lawlor to WTIC morning talk show host, Dianne Smith.

Gov. Rell's proposed changes to the penal code include a tougher home invasion law, increased penalties for night-time burglaries and burglaries committed with a firearm, and a tougher "persistent offender" law. Also included is the heavily debated "three strikes" law for repeat violent offenders. It states that, " a person convicted of a third state or federal violent crime will receive a life sentence that is not be subject to review until at least 30 years have been served."

Gov. Rell would also like to create a full-time Board of Pardons and Paroles and impose the requirement that no parole case be acted upon unless the Board and Department of Correction (DOC) have a complete file on the offender. The proposals would also improve Board and DOC access to juvenile and youthful offender records, notification when an offender has a parole hearing to the police department that made the original arrest, and training for the Board and parole officers.

To ensure victims' rights are protected, the word "victim" will be expanded to include immediate family for the purposes of testifying. Victims will also be offered more rights, and better tracking for victim notification would be implemented.

Through their series of meetings, officials realized that a major overlooked problem with the criminal justice system is that criminal justice agencies do not have an integrated computer system. "The people who administer our supervised release programs are making - quite literally - what can be life and death decisions," Gov. Rell stated. Gov. Rell proposed the development of a new, integrated system with case management, records management, and warrant tracking systems built in. The design of the system will begin immediately.

Legislators will have a lot to consider when they go into special session and a major responsibility on their shoulders. "Our people want to know that their homes are safe - that their schools are safe - and that their children are safe. I urge the members of the General Assembly to pass these proposals. The people of Connecticut deserve no less," insisted Gov. Rell.

The 2008 legislative session is a mere four weeks away and the Capitol is hopping. Last minute forums and seminars are filling the rooms at the legislative office building; participation is creating overflows into many of the hearing rooms. Many work groups and special task forces are wrapping up their recommendations. Several agencies that have taken their agendas on the road are slowing returning to home base.

Today, Speaker Jim Amann and Senate President Don Williams officially notified their members that a special House and Senate Session are on for January 23. The purpose is to enact criminal justice reforms following the tragedy that occurred this past summer in Cheshire. As reported previously, together with Gov. Rell, legislative leaders announced a plan that appears to have support around the building and should result in an efficient, focused special session to start 2008 off to a productive start.

House Democrats announced their annual "retreat," where they meet off-site on January 16 to formulate their list of priorities for 2008. We expect the other caucuses will follow in the next day or so. It looks like all hands are on deck to prepare for opening day, February 6, when the bell will ring to start the 2008 session.

The Governor's staff is busy examining her priorities for the interim budget and agency policy initiatives. To prepare for the projected economic downturn, the Office of Policy and Management is looking at projections for revenue, while agencies have been asked by the Governor to find savings in their already allocated budgets.

While there is no official priority lists until the respective caucuses meet to formulate their plans of attack, there are already some issues have surfaced as MUST DO. Believe it or not, rumors say there are still more changes to the state ethics provisions to come. And of course there's universal healthcare and criminal justice issues not handled during the special session. Finally, the issue of making mid-term adjustments to the biennium budget will be a top priority as many state agencies have been reporting deficits to their operating budgets.

While the opening day bells have not rung quite yet, for all intents and purposes, the session is underway!