Connecticut SB 503: AN ACT CONCERNING SENTENCING OF AND PAROLE ELIGIBILITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WHOSE OFFENSE WAS COMMITTED WHEN SUCH INDIVIDUAL WAS UNDER THE AGE OF TWENTY-SIX YEARS.

Bill Text

LCO 2976 
 
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General Assembly  
Raised Bill No. 503  
February Session, 2026 
 
LCO No. 2976 
 
 
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(JUD)  
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING SENTENCING OF AND PAROLE ELIGIBILITY 
FOR INDIVIDUALS WHOSE OFFENSE WAS COMMITTED WHEN 
SUCH INDIVIDUAL WAS UNDER THE AGE OF TWENTY-SIX YEARS.  
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Section 54-125a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2 
(a) A person convicted of one or more crimes who is incarcerated on 3 
or  after  October  1,  1990,  who  received  a  definite  sentence  or  total 4 
effective sentence of more than two years, and who has been confined 5 
under such sentence or sentences for not less than one-half of the total 6 
effective  sentence  less  any  risk  reduction  credit  earned  under  the 7 
provisions  of  section  18-98e  or  one-half  of  the  most  recent  sentence 8 
imposed  by  the  court  less  any  risk  reduction  credit  earned  under  the 9 
provisions of section 18-98e, whichever is greater, may be allowed to go 10 
at  large  on  parole  (1)  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  section  54-11 
125i,  or  (2)  in  the  discretion  of  a  panel  of  the  Board  of  Pardons  and 12 
Paroles, if (A) it appears from all available information, including any 13 
reports  from  the  Commissioner  of  Correction  that  the  panel  may 14 

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require, that there is a reasonable probability that such inmate will live 15 
and remain at liberty without violating the law, and (B) such release is 16 
not  incompatible  with  the  welfare  of  society.  At  the  discretion  of  the 17 
panel, and under the terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the 18 
panel  including  requiring  the  parolee  to  submit  personal  reports,  the 19 
parolee shall be allowed to return to the parolee's home or to reside in a 20 
residential  community  center,  or  to  go  elsewhere.  The  parolee  shall, 21 
while  on  parole,  remain  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  board  until  the 22 
expiration  of  the  maximum  term  or  terms  for  which  the  parolee  was 23 
sentenced less any risk reduction credit earned under the provisions of 24 
section  18-98e.  Any  parolee  released  on  the  condition  that  the  parolee 25 
reside in a residential community center may be required to contribute 26 
to the cost incidental to such residence. Each order of parole shall fix the 27 
limits of the parolee's residence, which may be changed in the discretion 28 
of the board and the Commissioner of Correction. Within three weeks 29 
after the commitment of each person sentenced to more than two years, 30 
the  state's  attorney  for  the  judicial  district  shall  send  to  the  Board  of 31 
Pardons and Paroles the record, if any, of such person. 32 
(b) (1) No  person  convicted  of  any of  the  following  offenses,  which 33 
was committed on or after July 1, 1981, shall be eligible for parole under 34 
subsection (a) of this section: (A) Capital felony, as provided under the 35 
provisions of section 53a-54b in effect prior to April 25, 2012, (B) murder 36 
with special circumstances, as provided under the provisions of section 37 
53a-54b  in  effect  on  or  after  April  25,  2012,  (C)  felony  murder,  as 38 
provided  in  section  53a-54c,  (D)  arson  murder,  as  provided  in  section 39 
53a-54d, (E) murder, as provided in section 53a-54a, or (F) aggravated 40 
sexual assault in the first degree, as provided in section 53a-70a. (2) A 41 
person  convicted  of  (A)  a  violation  of  section  53a-100aa  or  53a-102,  or 42 
(B) an offense, other than an offense specified in subdivision (1) of this 43 
subsection, where the underlying facts and circumstances of the offense 44 
involve  the  use,  attempted  use  or  threatened  use  of  physical  force 45 
against another person shall be ineligible for parole under subsection (a) 46 
of this section until such person has served not less than eighty-five per 47 
cent of the definite sentence imposed. 48 

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(c) The Board of Pardons and Paroles shall, not later than July 1, 1996, 49 
adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to ensure that a person 50 
convicted of an offense described in subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of 51 
this section is not released on parole until such person has served eighty-52 
five  per  cent  of  the  definite  sentence  imposed  by  the  court.  Such 53 
regulations  shall  include  guidelines  and  procedures  for  classifying  a 54 
person as a violent offender that are not limited to a consideration of the 55 
elements of the offense or offenses for which such person was convicted. 56 
(d) The  Board  of  Pardons  and  Paroles  may  hold  a  hearing  to 57 
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