Testimony of the Division of Criminal Justice

In opposition to:

S.B. No. 1166 (RAISED): An Act Concerning the Length of Pretrial Detention

March 21, 2011

The Division of Criminal Justice opposes S.B. No. 1166, An Act Concerning the Length of Pretrial Detention, and would respectfully recommend the Committee take no action on this bill. The Division is aware of no case where an individual is or has been held in lieu of bond prior to trial for more than the maximum term allowable for the offense with which the individual is charged solely because of that case. The Division would respectfully recommend (1) that if the Committee is aware of such a case, the Division be advised immediately so that we may undertake appropriate review and action, and (2) that the Committee very carefully examines all of the underlying facts of any such case to determine the exact circumstances. In summary, we would suggest that very careful review is warranted before enacting a law that would appear from our knowledge and experience to be absolutely unnecessary.