Is early release prison program working

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- In the wake of two murders the pressure is on for the state to get rid of a program allowing convicted felons to get out early.

Early release is available to just about every prisoner, even those convicted of a violent crime.      If they are good behind bars, take classes and counseling, and a prisoner could shave off five days a month from their sentence.

The new program is taking heat after two men released early were arrested for murder.

In the middle of the night, on June 27th in Meriden, an innocent man is shot to death behind the counter of a convenience store. Police say the man who pulled the trigger was Frankie Resto, a convicted felon. Now, a panel of experts is looking at the system that let Resto out of prison 199 days before his sentence was up. It's called Risk Reduction Earned Credit.

"The way it was sold to the General Assembly was that people who did bad things would atone for what they did by signing up for programs directly related to the bad things they did," explained House minority leader State Rep. Larry Cafero.

However, Republicans say that's not what's happening. They say inmates are getting credits towards early release by signing up for programs and never showing up for them. The Malloy administration sees it differently.
 
"We can see already, recidivism is down," said Mike Lawlor, the governor's criminal justice advisor. "Violent offenders are staying in longer, not shorter. There are fewer people released from prison this year than in previous years."

But the state Victim's Advocate has different figures showing much higher rates of recidivism, or going back to prison, and what about Frankie Resto? Democrat Lawlor has charts showing he served 93% of his sentence.

"And guys like him, 3 or 4 years ago were getting out after 55, 50, 65%," he said.

Republican Cafero says comparing current numbers to numbers from when Jodi Rell was Governor isn't the point.
 
"So we have to stop the defensiveness about which administration did better," he said. "This is public safety we're talking about. Two people got killed."

There was the convenience store murder in Meriden, but there was another one in East Hartford that was very similar. The clerk was killed and a man who was recently released from prison is the top suspect. However, Democrats say that guy did not get out early, in fact he served even more time behind bars under this program than he would have otherwise.