We are fighting to reform the probation system by eliminating incarceration for noncriminal technical violations, introducing earned time credit and removing burdensome supervision fees in order to incentivize success, reduce caseloads and reduce the trauma of arrest.
Probation was designed to be an alternative to incarceration. Instead, it has become a direct pathway into the prison system, creating an endless cycle of supervision and incarceration, while also acting as a barrier to resources and support that would effectively target some of the root causes of crime, such as food insecurity.
Instead of following its vision to act as a leader in progressive reforms with reentry initiatives as a primary focus, Connecticut DOC chooses to uphold targeted, biased, and unjust systems. As of June 1st 2025, more than 32,000 people are on probation in Connecticut – three times the number of those incarcerated.
What do we already know?
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As of July 2025, there were 32,464 individuals on probation in Connecticut.
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In Connecticut, probation violations are the leading cause of incarcerations, with 1 in 10 incarcerations a non-criminal technical violation.
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There are two types of probation:
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1) Serving time in jail and then being put on probation after completing a short jail time, aka 'shock probation
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2) Going on probation instead of going to jail.
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Probation begins immediately after release. Connecticut currently has 17 conditions, the 17 being to ‘satisfy any other conditions reasonably related to the defendant's rehabilitation,’ which essentially means more conditions or opportunities to violate.
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Justice-impacted individuals are twice as likely to be impacted by food insecurity, and 90% of justice-impacted individuals were reported to have experienced food insecurity.
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Supervision fees disproportionately impact underserved and low-income communities, taking what we don’t have. Connecticut requires both a $200 supervision fee and for those on probation to pay for random drug tests, regardless of whether drugs were involved in the crime.
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Access to food resources such as SNAP has been shown to reduce recidivism by 10% within the first year of getting benefits.
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