Criminal Justice Advocacy Clinic Bill Advances Out of CT Joint Judiciary Committee
On April 7, the Connecticut Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, S.B. 15024 (CT DVSJA), successfully passed out of the Joint Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut legislature.
Since September5, students in the Yale Law School Criminal Justice Advocacy Clinic6 (CJAC) have worked alongside a coalition of individuals and organizations to draft and advocate for the state’s passage of the CT DVSJA during the 2025 legislative session. The coalition comprises the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the ACLU of Connecticut, She Leads Justice, Drop LWOP New England, Restorative Action Alliance, the Women’s Community Justice Association, Full Citizens Coalition, the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, and individual community members of the state.
Since the legislative session began in January, the clinic has helped successfully lobby for the DVSJA bill to be introduced in the Connecticut Judiciary Committee and has rallied support for S.B. 1502 amongst a variety of stakeholders, including the Office of the Chief Public Defenders, the Alliance to End Sexual Violence, and the Connecticut Second Look Sentencing Project.
A DVSJA statute in Connecticut would provide pathways for trauma-informed sentencing, parole, and commutation relief for those who can prove their criminal conduct arose out of their personal experience of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, or human trafficking, according to the clinic. The statute would also allow judges to utilize their discretion to depart from mandatory minimum sentences when sentencing an individual who can show that their experience of surviving domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, or human trafficking contributed to their criminal behavior. If the bill passes, it will be the first of its kind in New England.
Connecticut’s Joint Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on March 17, and CJAC submitted written testimony in support of the bill7. Alongside other members of the CT DVSJA Coalition, clinical supervisor and Visiting Lecturer in Law Anjali Pathmanathan also testified at the hearing on behalf of the clinic.
On April 2, members of CJAC joined the Connecticut Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act Coalition for a lobbying day at the Connecticut State Capitol, where they spoke with a bipartisan group of legislators to advocate for passage of S.B. 1502.
Students in the Criminal Justice Advocacy Clinic6 represent individuals and organizations affected by the criminal legal system. The clinic docket consists of a mix of policy and community advocacy, direct representation, and impact litigation.
