House Republican Press Release

November 27, 2007

Press Office: 860-240-8700

REP. FREY SUPPORTS CLOSING LOOPHOLES IN THE STATE’S REPEAT FELONY LAWS

HARTFORD- Representative John Frey, R-111 along with House Republican Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., today urged lawmakers to close loopholes in the state’s repeat felony laws that allow dangerous paroled criminals to roam Connecticut streets because their sentences were prematurely commuted.

“The time to reform these fatally flawed laws has long since passed. What happened in Cheshire cannot be rationalized but we must insist on tougher laws to make sure that dangerous felons are kept behind bars and not serving relatively small fractions of their sentences,’’ Frey said.

“What happened in Cheshire can happen anywhere, including my district. We need to make sure these offenders are locked away for the serious crimes they have committed,” added Rep. Frey.

The only thing we cannot afford to do is not try to make our homes and street safe,’’ Cafero said. 

Rep. Cafero testified on behalf of the House Republicans before the Judiciary Committee, which is considering sentencing reform in the wake of the triple murders in Cheshire last July 23.

Frey has repeatedly called for a special session to correct unconstitutional persistent felony laws, the so-called Three Strikes statutes, and other significant reforms. Democrats have rejected a special session.

The proposal:

· Eliminate judicial discretion in applying longer sentences for repeat violent offenders as the state   Supreme Court has mandated;

· Insist that repeat offenders serves at least 85 percent of their sentences not the current 50 percent;

· Classify home invasion as a violent crime;

· Mandatory life sentences for the third violent crime;

· Approve the “Castle Doctrine’’ that assumes a home owner has a right to use deadly force against a home invader;

· Make the death penalty more workable and less timely to impose.