Rep. Callahan Joins Colleagues In Addressing Commonsense Bail Reform

Hartford— In advance of a series of Judiciary Committee public hearings next week, State Representative Patrick Callahan (R-108) joined House and Senate Republicans on Wednesday to outline proposals aimed at making Connecticut safer.

“I had an almost 30-year career with judicial as an Adult Probation Officer and Chief Probation Officer. It’s not our goal to lock people up; my goal was to keep people out of jail until they became a danger to themselves or others,” said Callahan.

Callahan is advocating for legislation to address Connecticut’s bail system. The four proposals are to streamline the licensing system for bail bondsmen as well as imposing fiduciary standards on clients’ funds, similar to those that attorneys are held.

“The way the system is now, you can go to a bail bondsman or there’s a new option where you can go to the court. The difference is, if you don’t show up in court, who is coming after you and collecting the rest? As a bail bondsman I would have 180 days to come up with you or the money. There’s a lot of good bondsman out there that used to write 100 bonds a month and are down to 10 or 15. Now they’re trying to undercut each other because business is sparse. We have a situation now that’s been created where people aren’t being held accountable for bonds,” noted Callahan.

It’s expected that Republican proposals will receive hearings over the next two weeks.

2023 Republican Proposals on Public Safety

Domestic Violence
Time and time again, Connecticut wakes up to horrific headlines in which victims of domestic violence are repeatedly terrorized and, often, killed by a family member or intimate partner. We propose increasing the penalty on murders committed during an act of domestic violence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Further, we propose enhancing protections for the surviving victims, including an expansion of GPS monitoring of the most dangerous domestic violence offenders.

Juvenile Crime
Teen-aged juvenile offenders have been terrorizing CT for years, but the pandemic only exacerbated the issue. Incidents of motor vehicle thefts, in particular, are a major problem. Often these crimes, perpetrated by those who aren’t even old enough to drive, take bystanders as collateral damage. Be it a toddler in the backseat during a carjacking or a grandmother struck in the crosswalk during a joyride, these are far from simple property crimes. Unfortunately, CT’s culture of coddling offenders while disregarding victims has led to an “injustice system” in which offenders will be able to have a “clean slate” and have their criminal record erased within a few short years. Among our proposals:

• Expand the circumstances in which a juvenile is automatically transferred to the regular criminal docket, including commission of a serious juvenile offense.
• Reestablish the family with service needs program to provide diversion services for children who are beyond control, runaways or truant from school.

Commonsense Bail Reform
Connecticut’s bail system has been under assault from the courts and legislative Democrats. It’s no surprise that it has cracked under the pressure and let bad actors game the system. We propose streamlining the licensing system for bail bondsmen as well as imposing fiduciary standards on clients’ funds similar to those to which attorneys are held. The vast majority of bail bondsmen in CT are here to help, but we must hold the bad actors to account and ensure the criminal justice system is well-served.

Supporting Law Enforcement
Republicans have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with police since 2020’s partisan attack on their profession, livelihoods, and ability to proactively protect the communities in which they serve. We propose giving them back the tools they need to re-engage with proactive policing, such as the ability to request a driver’s consent to search their motor vehicle in order to get guns and drugs off the street, the ability to pursue offenders in cases of stolen vehicles or property, and the ability to litigate governmental immunity in a way that is fair to both sides.