The Connecticut Sentencing Commission, along with the IMRP, Full Citizens Coalition, Next Level Empowerment Program, and ACLU Smart Justice of Connecticut, recently hosted a community conversation on Connecticut Bail Reform.

A crowd of more than 40 people gathered at the Dixwell Q House in New Haven to hear from presenters about the opportunities and challenges of a pretrial system without cash bail.

Retired Superior Court judge of New Jersey, Hon. Martin G. Cronin was the featured speaker. Panelists included Gus Marks-Hamilton of the ACLU of Connecticut, Alderman Troy Streater of New Haven’s 21st Ward, and civil rights attorney Alex Taubes. Ray Boyd, co-founder of Next Level Empowerment program, served as moderator for the event.

“We need to hear from our community and make changes that are fair and just for all,” stated Alderman Troy Streater. “Connecticut can learn from other states like New Jersey and Illinois which have made progress in bail reform. We can take their lessons and make the system better for everyone, making sure that only those who are truly a risk are kept in jail.”

Judge Cronin noted the difficulty in both changing longstanding systems and methods to quantify risk in manners that are non-discriminatory, while answering questions from the audience.

The event highlighted ideas that are both common sense and bipartisan and the need to push towards a system that is equitable and fair and that prioritizes community safety. Ray Boyd shared his personal story and invited audience members to stay engaged in future events and discussions. Most notably, the Connecticut Sentencing Commission’s annual symposium will take place on Thursday, November 21st at UConn School of Law and will focus on pretrial justice in Connecticut.