House Republican Press Release

March 24, 2008

Press Office: 860-240-8700

REP. HOVEY VOTES IN FAVOR OF TOUGHER REPEAT FELON LAWS

MAJORITY PARTY DEFEATS ‘THREE STRIKES’ BILL IN COMMITTEE

HARTFORD –As a member of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, State Rep. DebraLee Hovey,  R-Monroe, voted in favor of legislation that would strengthen the state’s “Three Strikes” Law on Wednesday, March 19. The proposal was defeated 25-16 in a largely party-line vote.

The bill defeated would have amended Persistent Dangerous Felony Offender Statutes by requiring that persons convicted of three dangerous felonies serve life in prison without the possibility of release.

It would also have required prosecutors to pursue a third conviction under persistent dangerous felony offender provisions for repeat violent offenders who can be sentenced to life in prison without eligibility for parole or publicly state why they are not doing so. Many times, prosecutors can use the current persistent dangerous felony offender provisions but fail to do so.

“In arguments against this legislation, legislators cited the need to provide courts ‘discretion’ in prosecuting violent criminals,” said Rep. Hovey. “People I speak to in my district are scared of that discretion and the way it allows criminals who are a danger to society to be released. The bill was not perfect but it recognized that there are serious problems with the judicial system when we have solid evidence that certain criminals need to remain incarcerated but we release them anyway. ”

During a January Special Session, Rep. Hovey voted in favor of  legislation that; Creates a new crime of home invasion; Makes someone convicted of second degree burglary or home invasion ineligible for parole until he or she has served 85 percent of their sentence; Makes major changes to the parole process, including reconfiguration of the Board of Pardons and Paroles and placing new limits on eligibility of parole and furloughs and establishes global positioning system (GPS) monitoring of additional parolees and requires additional staffing for monitoring.