VIOLENT CRIMINALS SERVE MORE TIME IN STATE

Violent offenders in Connecticut are serving longer prison terms on
average than those sentenced for similar crimes elsewhere in the
United States, according to a new federal study.

Figures from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice
Statistics show that violent offenders released from Connecticut
prisons in 1997 served an average of 68 percent of their sentences.

The national average was 54 percent.

The study defines violent offenders as those convicted of murder,
rape, robbery, or aggravated assault.

Violent criminals released in Connecticut in 1997 served an average
sentence of 53 months, sixth longest in the nation, according to the
study. The national average was 47 percent, according to the study.

"I think we've finally come to the point in society where we care more
about the victims of crime than about those who are committing the
crimes," Rep. James A. Amann, D-Milford, a member of the General
Assembly's Judiciary Committee, said.

Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the Judiciary
Committee, said the numbers vindicate changes the legislature made
early this decade in the criminal-justice system in response to
soaring crime rates and overcrowded prisons.

The state has emphasized saving prison space for violent criminals,
Lawlor said.

Nonviolent offenders, including many drug users and dealers, are
eligible for programs that require treatment, community service,
education, and other sanctions.

"Connecticut has probably the best system in the country for making
the distinction between violent and non-violent, serious and less
serious" criminals, Lawlor said.