House Republican Press Release

March 19, 2008

Press Office: 860-240-8700

REP. ROWE 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. T. R. Rowe, R-Trumbull, today voted in favor of legislation that would strengthen the state’s “Three Strikes” Law. The proposal was defeated 25-16 in a largely party-line vote.

The bill defeated would have amended the 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.

“There is absolutely no reason why a criminal who has committed three separate violent felony offenses such as rape or murder should receive a sentence of anything less than life in prison without the possibility of parole,” said Rep. Rowe. “We are talking about the worst of the worst, and for the safety of the public, these serial criminals deserve to spend life in prison, to prevent them from attacking law-abiding citizens.”

During a January Special Session, Rep. Rowe 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.