Yes, There is a new Connecticut law that expands parole eligibility for individuals who committed crimes before they turned 21. I am proud to my ACLU SmartJustice team and I advocated for this bill to get passed into law. The law, which went into effect on October 1, 2023, allows people who were under 21 at the time of their offense to be eligible for parole after serving a certain portion of their sentence
For example, if someone was sentenced to between 10 and 50 years in prison, they would be eligible for parole after serving 60% of their sentence or 12 years, whichever is greater. For sentences longer than 50 years, parole eligibility comes after 30 years.
This change reflects research showing that brain development continues into a person’s mid-20s, and proponents argue that young people have a high capacity for growth and rehabilitation
Tracie Bernardi Guzman 