After a Meriden convenience store clerk was allegedly slain by a man on early release from prison, a Republican state lawmaker launched a drive to suspend the program pending further investigation. The New Haven Register says on its opinion pages that view is misguided.
The editorial pointed out: “The early release law rewards good behavior and encourages participation in rehabilitation programs. Further, it serves to ease prison overcrowding.”
As the Register reported, “In the case of the Meriden shooting, state Sen. Leonard Suzio (R-Meriden) points out that the accused killer, Frankie Resto, had earned 199 days of credit for early release from his 2006 robbery conviction. He claimed that the early release credits let a violent offender be freed earlier than under an earlier law that required violent offenders to serve 85 percent of their sentences.”
But there’s a problem with Suzio’s claim. It’s not accurate and the Register called him on it. “In fact, Resto served 91 percent of his sentence, and his release from prison was delayed from February until April when he was placed on parole, according to the Malloy administration,” the editorial said.
Read the entire New Haven Register editorial.