Welcome Message from Chair Giles
The Board is committed to transparency and communication about the role and mandate of our agency. Taxpayers and members of the community - indeed, as people with a stake in a safer society - have a right to access information pertaining to the discretionary parole and pardon processes.
The Board of Pardons and Paroles is an integral part of the legal system and plays a critical role in Connecticut's criminal justice policy. The majority of our work is mandated by law. Offenders are eligible to be paroled at either 50% or 85% of their sentence of incarceration depending on the crime(s) they are convicted of and the date those crimes were committed. Offenders are eligible to apply for an Absolute Pardon three years after their most recent Misdemeanor conviction or five years after their most recent Felony conviction, whichever is later.
The Board is also called upon to decide which offenders deserve to be legally forgiven for their past actions based on their demonstrated, successful reengagement with their communities. It is not our job to punish offenders, but to ascertain their suitability for re-entering society. Making such determinations amounts to calculated risks and requires us to rely on science.