Pubdate: 6 Apr 1999
Source: New Haven Register (CT)
Copyright: 1999, New Haven Register
Contact:  http://www.ctcentral.com/cgi-bin/w3com/start?ctcentral+FrontPage
Forum: http://www.ctcentral.com/
Author: Angela Carter

REACTION MIXED TO PRISON QUOTAS

HARTFORD - Lawmakers Monday drew a mixed reaction to a bill that aims
to reduce the number of African Americans and Latinos incarcerated in
the state from 73 percent to 60 percent by Jan. 1, 2001.

Blacks and Hispanics comprise 16 percent of the state population,
according to data compiled by the Office of Legislative Research.

House Bill 7089 also would allow the courts to impose alternative
sanctions in cases in which there is a prescribed mandatory minimum
sentence, provided the crime was nonviolent and 'a showing of good
cause' is made in court.

At a public hearing held by the General Assembly's Judiciary
Committee, representatives from social service organizations, the
state judicial branch and other state agencies testified in support of
reducing racial disparities in the criminal justice system, but also
suggested some changes to the bill.

Rep. Robert Farr, R-West Hartford, opposed setting a reduction quota.
'I'm very much concerned about setting percentages,' he said.

New Haven Alderman Jelani Lawson, D-2, spoke on behalf of the
Connecticut Drug Police Leadership Council, of which he is the
director, advocating for alternative sentencing.

He said nonviolent offenders are taking up prison space that otherwise
would be available for serious, violent offenders.

'Mandatory minimum sentencing takes discretion out of judges' hands,'
Lawson said.

Additionally, the bill would create a commission to review the impact
of existing criminal justice policies on minorities, recommend a
training program for criminal justice personnel, prepare annual
comprehensive plans and submit yearly reports to the governor.

Fernando Betancourt, executive director of the state Latino and Puerto
Rican Affairs Commission, testified in support of a section that would
require certified interpreters at all court sessions where such
services are needed.

Betancourt called the proposed mandate 'a crucial element in our
judicial system to ensure all individuals are provided equal access
and services. This section is one that LPRAC is very pleased to see,'
he said.

Germano Kimbro, a coordinator with the anti-drug program New Haven
Fighting Back, said the bill needs to include provisions for preparing
inmates for discharge and linking them to ongoing support services
after release.

Emma Jones, the mother of of Malik Jones who was fatally shot by an
East Haven police officer in 1997, submitted testimony on another bill
that would outlaw police profiling, a practice of targeting motorists
on the basis of ethnicity.

Jones called for sanctions and a requirement that written policies be
distributed to police departments and the public.

The legislation would require police to track the number of people
stopped for traffic violations, their ethnicity and the sanction imposed.

Rep. John Martinez, D-New Haven, said the legislature is being
'proactive' in drafting these bills, so tensions don't escalate to
match the firestorm of anger surrounding the shooting death of Amadou
Diallo in New York City 
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