Statistics of Connecticut
In 2010, 78,386 property crimes and 10,057 violent crimes, including 130 murders and 583 rapes, were reported in Connecticut. [1] Five years later, there were 8,123 violent crimes, as almost 2,000 less. The violent crime rate was 227 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut, compared with a U.S. rate of 397 per 100,000 nationwide. [2] Most recently in 2016, the state of Connecticut released a detailed uniform crime report regarding all crime within the state. According to this report there were 8,148 violent crimes committed that year. Of these 8,148 violent crimes, there were 77 homicides, 777 rapes, 2,709 robberies, and 5,585 aggravated assaults. [3]
Capital punishment laws
In April 2012, Connecticut became the 17th state in the nation to abolish the death penalty. When inmates that were sentenced to the death penalty and it had gotten abolished it would change their sentence. Their new sentence would be life in prison, with no ability to get released. Connecticut had a difficult time starting as early as 1616. Between the time of 1616 to 2005 there were 158 people that were executed. Changing the death penalty to life in prison was signed by Governor Malloy. He made Connecticut the 5th state between 2007 and 2012 to abolish the death penalty. [4]
Most Dangerous Places to Live in Connecticut
According to the uniform crime report the cities with the most violent crimes are Bridgeport with 1,338 (2014) then New Haven with 1,380 (2014) and finally Hartford with 1,380 (2014). These cities also hold the most amount of murders, Bridgeport with 11, Hartford with 19, and New Haven with 12. In the city of Bridgeport in 2014 they had 92 rape incidents which was significantly higher than all of the other cities and towns in Connecticut. New haven has the second highest amount of rape and that number is 80. The third highest would be Hartford with 45. The robbery crime rate for the highest is again in Bridgeport, New Haven, and Hartford. Bridgeport had 546, Hartford 502, and New haven with 591. This shows that the most common crimes are found in these cities and towns. Although there are crimes in the others the numbers are not nearly as high as these ones are. The crime rates are much higher in these cities due to their population. Not only does the population have an effect on the crime rates, but so does the poverty and lack of money and structure in these cities.
Safest Places to Live in Connecticut
In the state of Connecticut, the safest places to live are Sherman, New Fairfield, Weston, Easton, Madison, heartland, Burlington, East Granby, Cornwall, and Roxbury. Sherman a small town with the population of only 3,668 people with around roughly 67 crimes committed and that’s overall. In New Fairfield the total amount of crimes are only 37. The town of Weston has a total crime rate of 24, along with Easton. Madison has a total of 58 crimes, and Burlington with 32 crimes. These towns are found to be smaller than other towns in Connecticut and less populated than others. These towns being more rural, and less populated making the crimes rates lower than others.
Famous Murders in Connecticut
On July 23, 2007 in a home in Cheshire Connecticut there was a home invasion where three people were murdered. Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters were raped and murdered, and her husband Dr. William Petit who was injured. During the course of these events it made it to be the most known crime that did happen in Connecticut. The two men that were involved in this invasion, and murder were Steven Hayes, and Joshua Komisarjevsky. Both of them were sentenced to the death penalty, in 2010 Steven was sentenced to death and Joshua was in January 2012. Although in August 2015 the death penalty was abolished.
Another tragic incident that happened in Newtown Connecticut. This is where there was a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, taking place on December 14, 2012 at approximately 9:30 a.m. The man responsible for this was a 20-year-old Adam Lanza. Adam had shot 20 children that day, each of the kids were only six or seven years old. He also murdered 6 adults that worked at the school. Prior to going to the school Lanza her murdered his mother also, and later that day he took his own life before he was able to get arrested. Sandy hook shooting was one of the most tragic mass shootings to this day, and the 7th worst school shooting.
Crime Rates Dropping The violent crimes in connected have dropped by nearly 10% for the second year in a row the Uniform Crime Report showed. In 2014 Connecticut reported 236.9 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2014. Crime in 2014 was at its lowest rate since 1974. In the year of 2014 Connecticut actually had the fourth highest crime rate dropping nationally. Approximately this crime decrease was about 6.7%. the eight major crimes that do get reported to the FBI are murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, automobile theft and arson. Overall in all of these types of violent crimes the numbers are decreasing which is positive for the state of Connecticut.
Connecticut Juvenile System The system used in CT is a state level system, there are juvenile courts, detention centers, private facilities and juvenile correctional facilities. After juveniles are released the minors get help from the Court Support Services Division of the Connecticut Judicial Branch and by the Department of Children and Family services. Criminal statues to juveniles and adults are the same although in the state of Connecticut if you are under the age of 18 you will be sent to a juvenile detention center. Although at the age of 18 you can be transferred over to Adult Court. The whole idea this state has to help the juveniles is that not only do they want to help the community from repeat offenders but also rehabilitation and they want these offenders to understand what they have done. Police officer that arrest these juveniles most commonly will warn them and release them, talk to the parents and then let them go, offer them organizations to go to, or they can make an arrest. Children that should not be let back into the community have to go to a hearing in court in front of a judge at a Superior court and this is when they can get sent to a Detention center.
Connecticut Marijuana Laws In Connecticut marijuana is decriminalized for small amounts. This meaning that instead of getting arrested and going to prison you would get something more similar to a ticket. Anyone that gets caught with marijuana that is under 21 will have their license suspended for 60 days. If found with less than ½ oz. (first offense) it’s a 150$ fine. Less than ½ oz. repeat offense would be 500$. With ½ - 4 oz. the first offence would be 1 year incarcerated and a 1,000$ fine, if this is repeated you get 5 years and a 3,000$ fine. More than 4 oz. of marijuana is 5 years incarcerated and 2,000$ fine, and if this offense is repeated it’s a 10-year sentence and 5,000$ fine.
If you have a medical marijuana card in the state of Connecticut you would have to have cancer, Crohn’s disease, or HIV/AIDS. Even before these medical patients are able to get medical marijuana first they have to register with the state. Regarding to the people that grow the plant they have to be in buildings with the exacting standards and pharmaceutical factories.