Monthly Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call Notes January 20th, 2026

Monthly CJ Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call Notes

January 20th, 2026

Hi everyone, thank you for joining the CT Statewide CJ Reform call. We appreciate each one of our presenters and the attention they bring to crucial events across the state. The structure of the call is generally the same every month - our lobbyist will give a presentation about what's happening in the capital, followed by updates from organizers, campaign leaders, and advocates. 

Please find detailed notes and overview from January’s Statewide Call. We do not record these calls, please join the next call for full details. Our next statewide criminal justice reform call will be Tuesday, February 10th, 2026  at 11AM on Zoom. You can register for the monthly calls here. 

Speakers: 

• John Bailey, CT Capitol Group, Lobbyist

• James Bhandary-Alexander(Transitions Clinic), Legal Director

• Tenaya Taylor (NAG-Non Profit Accountability Group), Founder

• Katrina Gilbert(SHOP), Member of Shop/ Co-Founder of Single Mothers on The Move

• Steve Kennedy(People's Parity Project), Organizing and Network Director 

Presentations:

John Bailey, TCORS Capitol Group 

• John provided an update on the upcoming legislative session, methods for navigating the legislature, and the upcoming Gubernatorial race.

  • Biennial Budget cycle

  • Remember that  individual legislators cannot raise bills, only chairs of committees. 

  • Gather data and compose into a compelling package or one pager.

  • Find champion legislators to help support getting raised out of committee.

  • Gubernatorial race has several candidates

    • Rep. Josh Elliott 

    • Sen. Ryan Fazio 

    • Betsy McCaughey- Former Lieutenant Governor of New York

    • Erin Stewart- Former Mayor of New Britain

    
    

James Bhandary-Alexander(Transitions Clinic), 

• Discussed the focus behind Medical Legal Partnership with the  Transitions Clinic

• Team working on legislation to prevent child support arrearages amongst formerly incarcerated and incarcerated individuals. 

• CT is out of compliance with federal laws since 2016.

• Goal would be to have amounts expunged dating back to 2016 pending on cases. 

Tenaya Taylor (NAG-Non Profit Accountability Group), Founder

• Discussed NAG’s focus on health equity and environmental justice.

• Coordinator with Governor Lamont’s team to close three  high pollutant sites in Hartford. 

• Coordinated meetings with the Mayor and City Council to address health issues in Hartford. 

Katrina Gilbert(SHOP), Member of Shop/ Co-Founder of Single Mothers on The Move

• Provided information regarding the upcoming Friday January 23rd, 2026 SHOP meeting. 

• Discussed the importance of SHOP and its vital role in addressing senior issues in Hartford.

Steve Kennedy(People's Parity Project), Organizing and Network Director 

• Discussed the importance of having more Judges elected with a background in representing citizens.

• A vast majority of judges are Corporate Lawyers and Prosecutors.

• There has been some success with replacing  some Trial Judges.  

• There is more struggle with finding candidates at the CT Supreme Court level. 

• There is a possibility of an upcoming vacancy in the CT Supreme Court. 

  • The goal is to get an African American Woman placed into the seat. 

  •  They would like to gain Gov. Lamont’s support in pick.

Barbara Fair, Founder of STOP Solitary CT 

• Announced January 23rd, 2026 STOP Solitary Monthly Community Meeting from 6PM-9PM  at 1253 Whitney Ave, Hamden CT 06517.

Thank you once again to all of our presenters for your outstanding work on the criminal justice system in Connecticut. Our next statewide criminal justice reform call will take place on Tuesday, February 10th, at 11:00 AM on Zoom. You can register for the monthly calls here. If you would like to present on future Statewide Calls, please email me at nick@chicksahoyfarm.org.