According to several credible news sources, there has been a significant change following the controversy over the 'unfettered power' exercised by a former police officer and head of the Connecticut Board of Pardons & Parole, Carlton Giles, who commuted 71 inmates in 2022, including 44 with murder convictions. In contrast, between 2015 and 2019, only five inmates were commuted, with just one commutation in 2021. During the pandemic, commutations were frozen, and this practice continued when Giles was demoted.

A key issue from the victims' perspective is the case of Audrey Carlson from Newington, whose 24-year-old daughter Elizabeth was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Jonathan Carney in 2002. Audrey, whom I know personally as a fellow Survivor of Homicide member and former radio guest, had believed in the certainty of a plea deal. She was shocked when, out of the blue, they were notified that Carney had applied for and been rejected for a sentence commutation. Audrey expressed her frustration:

“We accepted a 42-year contract — ironclad — knowing and trusting that this system is going to work for us. Well, guess what? We were wrong.”

In July 2023, Governor Ned Lamont appointed Jennifer Medina Zaccagnini as the new head of the CT Board of Pardons & Parole, replacing Giles.

Under Giles, the commutation policy heavily considered criteria such as inmate behavior in prison, the severity and recency of the conviction, societal benefits of sentence reduction, and inmate rehabilitation. He also factored in neuroscience about the immature brains of males, particularly those up to 25 years old, to justify commutations.

The new commutation policy, effective July 26, 2023, now requires inmates to demonstrate “exceptional and compelling circumstances” to merit sentence reductions, with no exceptions. This policy includes 11 suitability standards and mandates notices of hearings to be given to the Office of Victim Services and the Office of the States' Attorney, allowing victims or their representatives to appear and provide testimony, including presenting victim impact statements.

It is a crime in itself when survivors of crime also have to worry about who’s minding the henhouse. This should not be!

Change is invariably slow, but it is more important that change brings justice.

Refer to the current policy here.

Donna R. Gore

June, 2024