History: P.A. 80-390 added Subdiv. (e) re implementation of programs to assist witnesses and crime victims; P.A. 83-341 amended Subsec. (e) to permit board to apply for and receive grants of funds for victim services program; P.A. 85-609 added Subsec. (f) re provision of comprehensive state-wide victim assistance program and appointment and assignment
of victim advocates; P.A. 86-401 amended Subsec. (f) to permit transfer of any person employed in classified service as
a victim advocate on October 1, 1986, to the criminal injuries compensation board as classified employee as victim advocate
without reduction in salary or grade and added Subsec. (g) re written list of rights provided to victim; P.A. 87-514 added
Subsecs. (h) to (k), inclusive, adding duty to provide victims' rights information and telephone hotline for referrals; to
continue study by task force on civil liability, assist in implementing recommendations thereof and report findings; to
utilize voluntary services and recommend policies to state and local government re rights of victims of crime and victims
of torts; P.A. 87-554 changed name of "criminal injuries compensation board" to "commission on victim services"; P.A.
91-389 amended Subsec. (a) to include notice of the availability of "assistance" to crime victims, inserted a new Subsec.
(c) to authorize the commission to request information to verify that a person who has requested notification pursuant to
Sec. 54-228 was a victim of crime and relettering the remaining Subsecs. accordingly, amended Subsec. (g) to delete
provision re transfer to the commission as a classified employee any person employed in the unclassified service as a
victim advocate on October 1, 1986, amended Subsec. (h) to add Subdivs. (6) to (10), inclusive, re additional rights of
victims to be included in the list, inserted a new Subsec. (j) re the establishment of a victims' notification clearinghouse
and the notification of persons who have requested notification, relettering the remaining Subsecs. accordingly, deleted
former Subsec. (j) re the study by the task force on civil liability, and added Subsec. (l) re the establishment, composition
and duties of a victim services coordinating council, relettering the remaining Subsec. accordingly; P.A. 92-153 established
division of crime victims' compensation and division of victim services under supervision of executive director and deputy
directors, revised provisions re coordination of victim services, added provision re notification of victims of family violence
crimes and modification or termination of criminal orders of protection not later than April 1, 1993, deleted provision re
victim services coordinating council and added provision re state advisory council and added responsibility of development
of comprehensive plan for administration of crime victims' compensation and coordination of delivery of services in
coordination with department of human resources, department of health services, office of policy and management, judicial
branch, department of children and youth services and division of criminal justice; P.A. 93-91 substituted commissioner
and department of children and families for commissioner and department of children and youth services, effective July
1, 1993; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and
department of human resources, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-310 revised section by deleting references to victim
compensation commission, establishing office of victim compensation within the judicial department, deleting references
to victims of torts, adding deadline of January 1, 1994, for establishment of victims' notification clearinghouse, requiring
chief justice to appoint members of council, including the chief victim compensation commissioner, and two members to
serve as cochairmen, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public
health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health
and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-97 amended
Subdiv. (9) of Subsec. (b) by adding "scheduled to be" before "released"; P.A. 97-257 amended Subdiv. (8) of Subsec.
(b) by adding "Within available appropriations, to establish a victim's assistance center which shall" and added Subdivs.
(16) re establishment of victim's information clearinghouse and provision of toll-free number for access to information and
(17) re training program for judges, prosecutors, police, probation and parole personnel, bail commissioners, correctional
officers and special deputy sheriffs, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 99-184 amended Subdiv. (6) of Subsec. (b) by adding
provision that training and technical assistance for providers and development and implementation of public education
campaigns may be provided by nonprofit or for-profit organizations or local units of government, amended Subdiv. (16)
of Subsec. (b) by adding provision requiring the Office of Victim Services to develop a plan in consultation with other
agencies for notification of victims, making Office of Victim Services the lead agency for notification of victims and
requiring plan to be submitted to General Assembly not later than February 15, 2000, and added Subdiv. (18) requiring
Office of Victim Services to submit report of its activities, including training activities and mandates, to the General
Assembly on or before January 15, 2000, and biennially thereafter; P.A. 00-99 replaced reference to special deputy sheriffs
with judicial marshals in Subsec. (b)(17), effective December 1, 2000; P.A. 00-196 made a technical change in Subsec.
(b)(18); P.A. 04-234 replaced Board of Pardons and Board of Parole with Board of Pardons and Paroles, effective July 1,
2004; P.A. 05-288 made a technical change in Subsec. (b)(16), effective July 13, 2005.
Sec. 54-211. Time limitation on filing application for compensation. Restrictions on award of compensation. Amount of compensation. (a)(1) No order for the
payment of compensation shall be made under section 54-210 unless the application
has been made within two years after the date of the personal injury or death, and the
personal injury or death was the result of an incident or offense listed in section 54-209
which has been reported to the police within five days of its occurrence or, if the incident
or offense could not reasonably have been reported within such period, within five days
of the time when a report could reasonably have been made. (2) Notwithstanding the
provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection, any person who, before, on or after
October 1, 2005, fails to make application for compensation within two years after the
date of the personal injury or death as a result of physical, emotional or psychological
injuries caused by such personal injury or death may apply for a waiver of such time
limitation. The Office of Victim Services, upon a finding of such physical, emotional
or psychological injury, may grant such waiver. (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of
subdivision (1) of this subsection, any minor who, before, on or after October 1, 2005,
fails to make application for compensation within two years after the date of the personal
injury or death through no fault of the minor, may apply for a waiver of such time
limitation. The Office of Victim Services, upon a finding that such minor is not at fault,
may grant such waiver. (4) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this
subsection, a person who is a dependent of a victim may make application for payment
of compensation not later than two years from the date that such person discovers or in
the exercise of reasonable care should have discovered that the person upon whom the
applicant was dependent was a victim or ninety days after May 26, 2000, whichever is
later. Such person shall file with such application a statement signed under penalty of
false statement setting forth the date when such person discovered that the person upon
whom the applicant was dependent was a victim and the circumstances that prevented
such person discovering that the person upon whom the applicant was dependent was
a victim until more than two years after the date of the incident or offense. There shall
be a rebuttable presumption that a person who files such a statement and is otherwise
eligible for compensation pursuant to this chapter is entitled to compensation. (5) Any
waiver denied by the Office of Victim Services under this subsection may be reviewed
by a victim compensation commissioner, provided such request for review is made by
the applicant within thirty days from the mailing of the notice of denial by the Office
of Victim Services. If a victim compensation commissioner grants such waiver, the
commissioner shall refer the application for compensation to the Office of Victim Services for a determination pursuant to section 54-205.
(b) No compensation shall be awarded if: (1) The offender is unjustly enriched by
the award, provided compensation awarded to a victim which would benefit the offender
in a minimal or inconsequential manner shall not be considered unjust enrichment; (2)
the victim violated a penal law of this state, which violation caused or contributed to
his injuries or death.
(c) No compensation shall be awarded for losses sustained for crimes against property or for noneconomic detriment such as pain and suffering.
(d) No compensation shall be awarded for the first hundred dollars of injury sustained and no such compensation shall be in an amount in excess of fifteen thousand
dollars except that such compensation to or for the benefit of the dependents of a homicide victim shall be in an amount not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars. The claims
of the dependents of a deceased victim, as provided in section 54-208, shall be considered
derivative of the claim of such victim and the total compensation paid for all claims
arising from the death of such victim shall not exceed a maximum of twenty-five thousand dollars.
(e) Orders for payment of compensation pursuant to this chapter may be made only
as to injuries or death resulting from incidents or offenses arising on and after January
1, 1979, except that orders for payment of compensation pursuant to subdivision (3) of
subsection (a) of section 54-209 may be made only as to injuries or death resulting from
incidents or offenses arising on and after July 1, 1985.
(f) Compensation shall be awarded pursuant to this chapter for bodily injury or death
resulting from a crime which occurs (1) within this state, regardless of the residency of
the applicant; (2) outside this state but within the territorial boundaries of the United
States, provided the victim, at the time of injury or death, was a resident of this state
and the state in which such crime occurred does not have a program for compensation
of victims for which such victim is eligible; and (3) outside the territorial boundaries
of the United States, provided the applicant is a victim of international terrorism, as
defined in Section 2331 of Title 18 of the United States Code, and was a resident of this
state at the time of injury or death.
(P.A. 78-261, S. 11, 17; P.A. 81-23, S. 1; P.A. 82-397, S. 4, 7; P.A. 85-529, S. 3, 4; 85-538, S. 3; P.A. 87-554, S. 10;
P.A. 90-22, S. 1; 90-279, S. 1; P.A. 93-310, S. 10, 32; P.A. 95-175, S. 7; P.A. 97-59, S. 2, 4; P.A. 00-110, S. 1, 2; P.A. 05-249, S. 7.)
History: P.A. 81-23 added Subsec. (e) prohibiting compensation to nonresident victims unless a reciprocal victim
compensation provision has been enacted in the state in which the victim is a resident; P.A. 82-397 amended Subsec. (a)
by deleting provision prohibiting compensation award if victim is relative of offender or living with offender as member
of family or household or maintaining a sexual relationship with offender or member of family of offender and added
prohibition of compensation to victim if offender benefits or if victim was living with offender by mutual consent in
relationship of cohabitation, regardless of legal status, and amended Subsec. (c) by deleting requirement that all payments
be made in a lump sum; P.A. 85-529 amended Subsec. (d) by providing that compensation pursuant to Subdiv. (3) of
Subsec. (a) of Sec. 54-209 is limited to incidents or offenses arising on and after July 1, 1985; P.A. 85-538 amended Subsec.
(b) adding "unless the parties have separated, are no longer in a relationship of cohabitation and there is no expectation
that the parties will resume a relationship of cohabitation in the future, and deleted Subsec. (e) which required reciprocity
for nonresident victim; P.A. 87-554 amended Subsec. (c) by (1) increasing maximum compensation to fifteen thousand
dollars, except that the maximum compensation for dependents of homicide victim shall be twenty-five thousand dollars
and (2) providing that claims of dependents of deceased victim shall be considered derivative of claim of victim and total
of all claims shall not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars, and amended Subsec. (e) re compensation for bodily injury or
death from crime occurring in this state, regardless of residency of the applicant; P.A. 90-22 amended Subsec. (b) by adding
provisions prohibiting compensation if offender may be unjustly enriched and amended Subsec. (e) by authorizing award
of compensation to resident victim of a crime committed outside the state; P.A. 90-279 amended Subsec. (a) by permitting
application for and granting of waiver of time limitation for benefits if failure to file within two-year period was a result
of (1) physical, emotional or psychological injuries or (2) the negligence of the parent, guardian or custodian of a minor
who failed to file within the two-year period; P.A. 93-310 changed "commission" to "office of victim services", added
provision re review of denial of waiver, deleted provision in Subsec. (b) re investigation where unjust enrichment, added
provision prohibiting compensation for crimes against property or for noneconomic detriment such as pain and suffering
and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-175 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing failure to make application through "negligence of the parent, guardian or custodian" of a minor with failure to apply "through no fault of" the
minor; P.A. 97-59 amended Subsec. (a) by changing "fourteen" days from the mailing of the notice of denial to "thirty"
days from such mailing, amended Subsec. (f) by adding "but within the territorial boundaries of the United States" to
Subdiv. (2) and added Subdiv. (3) re crime outside territorial boundaries provided applicant is victim of international
terrorism and resident of state at time of injury or death, effective May 8, 1997; P.A. 00-110 amended Subsec. (a) to add
new Subdiv. (4) re time limitation and procedure for a person to make application for compensation upon discovering that
the person upon whom the applicant was dependent was a victim and to redesignate former Subdiv. (4) as Subdiv. (5),
effective May 26, 2000; P.A. 05-249 amended Subsec. (a)(2) to make provisions applicable to any person who "before,
on or after October 1, 2005," fails to make a timely application for compensation and delete the condition that an application
for a waiver be filed not later than six years after the date of the personal injury or death, amended Subsec. (a)(3) to make
provisions applicable to any minor who "before, on or after October 1, 2005," fails to make a timely application for
compensation and delete the condition that an application for a waiver be filed not later than two years after the minor
attains the age of majority or seven years after the date of the personal injury or death, whichever is sooner, and made
technical changes in Subsec. (a).
Sec. 54-220. Victim advocates. Responsibilities and duties. (a) Victim advocates shall have the following responsibilities and duties: (1) To provide initial screening
of each personal injury case; (2) to assist victims in the preparation of victim impact
statements to be placed in court files; (3) to notify victims of their rights and request
that each victim so notified attest to the fact of such notification of rights on a form
developed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator, which form shall be signed
by the victim advocate and the victim and be placed in court files and a copy of which
form shall be provided to the victim; (4) to provide information and advice to victims
in order to assist such victims in exercising their rights throughout the criminal justice
process; (5) to direct victims to public and private agencies for service; (6) to coordinate
victim applications to the Office of Victim Services; and (7) to assist victims in the
processing of claims for restitution.
(b) Within available appropriations, the Office of Victim Services may contract
with any public or private agency for victim advocate services in geographical area
courts.
(P.A. 85-609, S. 2; P.A. 87-554, S. 1; P.A. 93-310, S. 17, 32; P.A. 95-175, S. 10; P.A. 03-179, S. 3; P.A. 05-152, S. 11.)
History: (Revisor's note: In 1991 the term "commission on victim services" was substituted editorially for "criminal
injuries compensation board" pursuant to public act 87-554); P.A. 93-310 amended Subdiv. (3) by deleting "prosecutors
by gathering victim or witness" and inserting "victims by providing", amended Subdiv. (4) by deleting requirement of
counsel, and amended Subdiv. (6) by changing "commission" to "office of victim services", effective July 1, 1993; P.A.
95-175 amended Subsec. (a) by adding Subdiv. (7) re assistance of victims in processing claims for restitution and added
Subsec. (b) re contracting with public or private agency for victim advocates in geographical area courts; P.A. 03-179
amended Subsec. (a) by replacing "prepare" with "assist victims in the preparation of" in Subdiv. (2), replacing provision
re providing information needed for processing of cases with provisions re notification of rights and attestation on form
in Subdiv. (3), and deleting reference to "individual" and adding provision re assisting victims in exercising their rights
throughout the criminal justice process in Subdiv. (4); P.A. 05-152 amended Subsec. (a)(3) by inserting "so notified".
Sec. 54-222a. Duty of peace officer regarding crime victim. Regulations. (a)
Whenever a peace officer determines that a crime has been committed, such officer
shall: (1) Render immediate assistance to any crime victim, including obtaining medical
assistance for any such crime victim if such assistance is required; (2) present a card
prepared by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator to the crime victim informing
the crime victim of services available and the rights of crime victims in this state; and
(3) refer the crime victim to the Office of Victim Services for additional information
on rights and services. A peace officer shall not be liable for failing to present an informational card to any crime victim as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection or for
failing to refer any crime victim to the Office of Victim Services as provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection. For the purposes of this subsection, "crime victim" shall
have the same meaning as provided in section 1-1k.
(b) The Commissioner of Public Safety shall adopt regulations in accordance with
chapter 54 to implement the provisions of subsection (a) of this section.
(P.A. 88-260; P.A. 93-310, S. 19, 32; P.A. 05-169, S. 4.)
History: P.A. 93-310 changed "commission on victims services" to "office of chief court administrator" and changed
"said commission" to "the office of victim services", effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 05-169 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing
references to victim with references to crime victim, deleting provision re victim who has suffered physical injury, adding
provision re peace officer not liable for failure to present informational card or refer crime victim to Office of Victim
Services, defining "crime victim" and making technical changes.
Sec. 54-227. Notification of Office of Victim Services and Victim Services Unit
within Department of Correction by inmate or sexual offender seeking release or
other relief. (a) Any inmate who makes an application to the Board of Pardons and
Paroles or Department of Correction for release other than a furlough from a correctional
institution or who applies to the sentencing court or judge for a reduction in sentence
pursuant to section 53a-39, or who applies to the review division for a review of sentence
pursuant to section 51-195, shall notify the Office of Victim Services and the Victim
Services Unit within the Department of Correction of such application on a form prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator. Notwithstanding any provision
of the general statutes, no such application shall be accepted unless the applicant has
notified the Office of Victim Services and the Victim Services Unit within the Department of Correction pursuant to this subsection and provides proof of such notice as part
of the application.
(b) Any person who files an application with the court to be exempted from the
registration requirements of section 54-251 pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of said
section and any person who files a petition with the court pursuant to section 54-255
for an order restricting the dissemination of the registration information or removing
such restriction shall notify the Office of Victim Services and the Victim Services Unit
within the Department of Correction of the filing of such application or petition on a
form prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator. Notwithstanding any
provision of the general statutes, no such application or petition shall be considered
unless such person has notified the Office of Victim Services and the Victim Services
Unit within the Department of Correction pursuant to this subsection and provides proof
of such notice as part of the application or petition.
(c) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes to the contrary, the Board
of Pardons and Paroles, sentencing court and sentence review division may make available to the Office of Victim Services and the Victim Services Unit within the Department
of Correction direct access to records in their custody, including computerized criminal
history record information, for the purpose of performing said office's and department's
duties regarding victim notification.
(P.A. 91-389, S. 2, 12; P.A. 92-153, S. 9; P.A. 93-310, S. 21, 32; P.A. 96-97, S. 3; P.A. 01-211, S. 3; P.A. 04-234, S.
2; P.A. 05-146, S. 2.)
History: P.A. 91-389, S. 2 effective April 1, 1992; P.A. 92-153 added phrase "other than a furlough"; P.A. 93-310
changed "commission on victim services" to "office of victim services", effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 96-97 added Subsec.
(b) permitting Board of Pardons, Board of Parole, sentencing court and sentence review division to allow Office of Victim
Services direct access to records; P.A. 01-211 amended Subsec. (a) to require the inmate to also notify the Department of
Correction of such application, added new Subsec. (b) to require any person who files an application to be exempted from
the registration requirements of Sec. 54-251 or who files a petition pursuant to Sec. 54-255 for order restricting dissemination
of registration information or removing such restriction to notify the Office of Victim Services and the Department of
Correction of the filing of such application or petition and to prohibit the consideration of such application or petition
unless such notice has been given and redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c) and amended to allow the Department
of Correction direct access to records in the custody of the specified agencies; P.A. 04-234 replaced Board of Pardons and
Board of Parole with Board of Pardons and Paroles, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-146 specified that the notice under
Subsecs. (a) and (b) should be given to, and the records under Subsec. (c) made available to, the "Victim Services Unit"
within the Department of Correction.
Sec. 54-228. Request by victim or family member of inmate for notification.
(a) Any victim of a crime or any member of an inmate's immediate family who desires
to be notified whenever an inmate makes an application to the Board of Pardons and
Paroles, Department of Correction, sentencing court or judge or review division as provided in section 54-227, or whenever an inmate is scheduled to be released from a
correctional institution other than on a furlough, except a furlough that is granted for
the purpose of reintegrating an inmate into the community and allows such inmate to
serve the period immediately preceding such inmate's parole release or discharge date
in the community, may complete and file a request for notification with the Office of
Victim Services or the Victim Services Unit within the Department of Correction.
(b) Any victim of a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor, a nonviolent
sexual offense or a sexually violent offense, as those terms are defined in section 54-250, or a felony found by the sentencing court to have been committed for a sexual
purpose, as provided in section 54-254, who desires to be notified whenever the person
who was convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect of such
offense files an application with the court to be exempted from the registration requirements of section 54-251 pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of said section or files a petition
with the court pursuant to section 54-255 for an order restricting the dissemination of
the registration information, or removing such restriction, may complete and file a request for notification with the Office of Victim Services or the Victim Services Unit
within the Department of Correction.
(c) Such request for notification shall be in such form and content as the Office of
the Chief Court Administrator may prescribe. Such request for notification shall be
confidential and shall remain confidential while in the custody of the Office of Victim
Services and the Department of Correction and shall not be disclosed. It shall be the
responsibility of the victim to notify the Office of Victim Services and the Victim Services Unit within the Department of Correction of his or her current mailing address,
which shall be kept confidential and shall not be disclosed by the Office of Victim
Services and the Department of Correction. Nothing in this section shall be construed
to prohibit the Office of Victim Services and the Department of Correction from communicating with each other to determine if either has a current mailing address of a victim
and, if so, from disclosing such mailing address to each other for the purpose of facilitating notification to the victim, provided such mailing address shall not be further disclosed.
(P.A. 91-389, S. 3, 12; P.A. 92-153, S. 10; P.A. 93-219, S. 13, 14; 93-310, S. 22, 32; P.A. 96-97, S. 4; P.A. 01-211, S.
4; P.A. 04-234, S. 2; P.A. 05-146, S. 3; 05-152, S. 12.)
History: P.A. 91-389, S. 3 effective April 1, 1992; P.A. 92-153 deleted reference to confidentiality "as provided in
section 54-204" and inserted provision specifying that requests for notification "shall not be disclosed"; P.A. 93-219
authorized any member of an inmate's immediate family to complete and file a request for notification, effective July 1,
1993; P.A. 93-310 changed "commission" to "office of victim services", changed "commission on victim services" to
"office of the chief court administrator", and added provision re responsibility of victim to notify office of current mailing
address, which shall be kept confidential, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 96-97 added phrase "scheduled to be" before "released"; P.A. 01-211 designated existing provisions authorizing a victim to file a request for notification as Subsec. (a)
and amended same. to authorize the victim to file request with the Department of Correction, added a new Subsec. (b) to
authorize the victim of certain sexual offenses to file a request for notification whenever the perpetrator seeks to be exempted
from the sexual offender registration requirements or to restrict the dissemination of the registration information or remove
such restriction and designated existing provisions re the form and confidentiality of the victim's request for notification
as Subsec. (c) and amended same to make the confidentiality and nondisclosure provisions applicable to the Department
of Correction and require the victim to also notify the Department of Correction of his or her current mailing address; P.A.
04-234 replaced Board of Pardons and Board of Parole with Board of Pardons and Paroles, effective July 1, 2004; P.A.
05-146 specified that the request for notification under Subsecs. (a) and (b) should be filed with, and the notice of the
victim's current mailing address under Subsec. (c) should be given to, the "Victim Services Unit" within the Department
of Correction; P.A. 05-152 amended Subsec. (a) by adding exception re furlough granted for the purpose of reintegrating
an inmate into the community and amended Subsec. (c) by providing that nothing in section shall be construed to prohibit
communication between Office of Victim Services and Department of Correction re current mailing address of victim and
disclosure of such address to each other.
Sec. 54-229. Request by prosecuting authority for notification. Any state's attorney, assistant state's attorney or deputy assistant state's attorney who desires to be
notified whenever an inmate makes an application to the Board of Pardons and Paroles,
Department of Correction, sentencing court or judge or review division as provided in
section 54-227 may complete and file a request for notification with the Office of Victim
Services or the Victim Services Unit within the Department of Correction. Such request
for notification shall be in such form and content as the Office of the Chief Court Administrator may prescribe.
(P.A. 91-389, S. 4, 12; P.A. 93-310, S. 23, 32; P.A. 04-234, S. 2; P.A. 05-146, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 91-389, S. 4 effective April 1, 1992; P.A. 93-310 deleted "commission on" and inserted "office of" and
deleted "commission on victim services" and inserted "office of chief court administrator" effective July 1, 1993; P.A.
04-234 replaced Board of Pardons and Board of Parole with Board of Pardons and Paroles, effective July 1, 2004; P.A.
05-146 authorized the filing of a request for notification with the Victim Services Unit within the Department of Correction.
Sec. 54-230. Notification of victims and other persons by Office of Victim Services when inmate or sexual offender seeks release or other relief or is released
from a correctional institution. (a) Upon receipt of notice from an inmate pursuant to
section 54-227, the Office of Victim Services shall notify by certified mail all persons
who have requested to be notified pursuant to subsection (a) of section 54-228 and
section 54-229 whenever such inmate makes application for release or sentence reduction or review. Such notice shall be in writing and notify each person of the nature of
the release or sentence reduction or review being applied for, the address and telephone
number of the board or agency to which the application by the inmate was made, and
the date and place of the hearing or session, if any, scheduled on the application.
(b) Upon receipt of notice from a person pursuant to subsection (b) of section 54-227, the Office of Victim Services shall notify by certified mail all persons who have
requested to be notified pursuant to subsection (b) of section 54-228 whenever such
person files an application with the court to be exempted from the registration requirements of section 54-251 pursuant to subsections (b) or (c) of said section or files a petition
with the court pursuant to section 54-255 for an order restricting the dissemination of
the registration information, or removing such restriction. Such notice shall be in writing
and notify each person of the nature of the exemption or of the restriction or removal
of the restriction being applied for, the address and telephone number of the court to
which the application or petition by the person was made, and the date and place of the
hearing or session, if any, scheduled on the application or petition.
(c) Upon compliance with the notification requirements of this section, the Office
of Victim Services shall notify, on a form prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court
Administrator, the board, agency or court to which the application or petition was made
of such compliance.
(d) Upon receipt of notice from the Department of Correction pursuant to section
54-231, the Office of Victim Services shall notify by certified mail all victims who have
requested to be notified pursuant to section 54-228 whenever such inmate is scheduled
to be released from a correctional institution. Such notice shall be in writing and notify
each victim of the date of such inmate's release. The victim shall notify the Office of
Victim Services of his or her current mailing address, which shall be kept confidential
and shall not be disclosed by the Office of Victim Services. Nothing in this section shall
be construed to prohibit the Office of Victim Services and the Department of Correction
from communicating with each other to determine if either has a current mailing address
of a victim and, if so, from disclosing such mailing address to each other for the purpose
of facilitating notification to the victim, provided such mailing address shall not be
further disclosed.
(P.A. 91-389, S. 5, 12; P.A. 92-153, S. 11; P.A. 93-310, S. 24, 32; P.A. 96-97, S. 5; P.A. 01-211, S. 5; P.A. 05-152, S. 13.)
History: P.A. 91-389, S. 5 effective April 1, 1992; P.A. 92-153 deleted requirement that victim be notified of "place"
where inmate is released; P.A. 93-310 changed "commission on" to "office of" and added provision in Subsec. (b) re
responsibility of victim to notify office of current mailing address which shall be kept confidential, effective July 1, 1993;
P.A. 96-97 amended Subsec. (b) by adding phrase "scheduled to be" before "released"; P.A. 01-211 amended Subsec. (a)
to require notice to be sent by "certified" mail and replace reference to "section 54-228" with "subsection (a) of section
54-228", added new Subsec. (b) re notification by the Office of Victim Services of victims who have requested notification
whenever a sexual offender seeks to be exempted from sexual offender registration requirements or to restrict the dissemination of registration information or remove such restriction, added new Subsec. (c) requiring the Office of Victim Services
to notify the board, agency or court to which the application or petition was made of said office's compliance with the
notification requirements of section and redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (d) and amended same to require
notice to be sent by "certified" mail; P.A. 05-152 amended Subsec. (d) by providing that nothing in section shall be
construed to prohibit communication between Office of Victim Services and Department of Correction re current mailing
address of victim and disclosure of such address to each other.
Sec. 54-230a. Notification of victims and other persons by Department of Correction when inmate or sexual offender seeks release or other relief. (a) Upon receipt
of notice from an inmate pursuant to section 54-227, the Victim Services Unit within the
Department of Correction shall notify by certified mail all persons who have requested to
be notified pursuant to subsection (a) of section 54-228 and section 54-229 whenever
such inmate makes application for release or sentence reduction or review. Such notice
shall be in writing and notify each person of the nature of the release or sentence reduction
or review being applied for, the address and telephone number of the board or agency
to which the application by the inmate was made, and the date and place of the hearing
or session, if any, scheduled on the application.
(b) Upon receipt of notice from a person pursuant to subsection (b) of section 54-227, the Victim Services Unit within the Department of Correction shall notify by certified mail all persons who have requested to be notified pursuant to subsection (b) of
section 54-228 whenever such person files an application with the court to be exempted
from the registration requirements of section 54-251 pursuant to subsections (b) or (c)
of said section or files a petition with the court pursuant to section 54-255 for an order
restricting the dissemination of the registration information, or removing such restriction. Such notice shall be in writing and notify each person of the nature of the exemption
or of the restriction or the removal of the restriction being applied for, the address and
telephone number of the court to which the application or petition by the person was
made, and the date and place of the hearing or session, if any, scheduled on the application
or petition.
(c) Upon compliance with the notification requirements of this section, the Victim
Services Unit within the Department of Correction shall notify, on a form prescribed
by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator, the board, agency or court to which the
application or petition was made of such compliance.
(P.A. 01-211, S. 6; P.A. 05-146, S. 4.)
History: P.A. 05-146 specified that the required notice be given by the "Victim Services Unit" within the Department
of Correction.
Sec. 54-231. Notification of Office of Victim Services by Department of Correction upon release of inmate. Access to criminal history record information. The
Department of Correction shall notify the Office of Victim Services whenever it schedules the release of an inmate from a correctional institution other than on a furlough,
except a furlough that is granted for the purpose of reintegrating an inmate into the
community and allows such inmate to serve the period immediately preceding such
inmate's parole release or discharge date in the community. Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes to the contrary, the Department of Correction may make
available to the Office of Victim Services direct access to any records in its custody,
including computerized criminal history record information, for the purpose of assisting
said office to perform its duties regarding victim notification.
(P.A. 91-389, S. 6, 12; P.A. 92-153, S. 12; P.A. 93-310, S. 25, 32; P.A. 96-97, S. 6; P.A. 05-68, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 91-389, S. 6 effective April 1, 1992; P.A. 92-153 specified that correction department need not notify
commission of inmate's release on furlough; P.A. 93-310 changed "commission on victim services" to "office of victim
services", effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 96-97 changed "releases" to "schedules the release of" and added provision permitting
Department of Correction to allow Office of Victim Services direct access to records; P.A. 05-68 required notification
when an inmate is scheduled to be released on a furlough that is granted for the purpose of reintegrating the inmate into
the community and allows the inmate to serve the period immediately preceding the inmate's parole release or discharge
date in the community.