Connecticut Governor Rell Signs Domestic Violence Prevention Bill

August 2, 2007 -- In a ceremony at the Prudence Crandall Center in New Britain today, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell signed into law a bill that strengthens Connecticut’s domestic violence laws in a number of significant areas.

Effective October 1, An Act Concerning Domestic Violence sets tougher penalties for anyone who is arrested on a family violence charge and intentionally violates the terms of their release. Family violence crimes are defined as incidents between family or household members that either cause injury or create the fear that injury is about to occur.

The new law expands the circumstances under which a court can issue a standing criminal restraint order and establishes three new crimes of strangulation – classified in part by severity of the attack.

“In Connecticut, we continue to move aggressively in deterring and prosecuting domestic violence,” Governor Rell said. “No one should have to live their life in fear, and this law toughens our laws in a variety of ways.

“Domestic violence takes so many shapes and forms. Some are obvious – hitting, slapping, and punching. Others are more subtle – verbal abuse, isolation from friends and relatives, withholding money. And though we say this over and over, it can never be said often enough: Domestic violence cuts across all races, all income brackets, all levels of education – and both sexes.”

The new law also establishes procedures for police officers to follow when releasing someone arrested for a family violence crime. Those procedures can include instructions to avoid contact with the alleged victim, restrictions on travel and a ban on the use or possession of weapons, intoxicants or controlled substances.

“This change in our law will help resolve a common and frustrating problem for victims in domestic violence cases – incidents that occur when no judge is available to issue a protective order,” Governor Rell said. “Until now, while a police officer might issue a stern warning to stay away from a victim, that warning carried no legal weight – and perpetrators knew it.”

Under the new law, police officers will now be able to set non-financial conditions of release and arrest those who violate those conditions. In addition, when police officers are responding to a family violence crime scene, the new law empowers them to seize any electronic defense weapon that is in plain sight. Officers already had the power to take firearms at such crime scenes, but this change adds weapons such as Tasers and stun guns to the list.

At a June ceremony at the Connecticut Humane Society in Newington, Governor Rell signed An Act Concerning the Protection of Pets in Domestic Violence Cases. The new law, effective October 1, permits courts to issue orders of protection for animals owned or kept by victims of family violence, stalking, or harassment. The Governor noted that one way to further traumatize the human target of domestic violence is to injure or kill that person's beloved pet. Under current law, protective orders only cover the victim. By harming or threatening to harm a pet that is cherished by the victim, an abuser can still hurt a victim without technically violating an order of protection. “By protecting pets, the new law shuts the door on any opportunities for abusers to continue to abuse their victims,” Governor Rell said. “Victims of domestic violence should not be subject to this further intimidation and cruelty if a pet becomes a target.”

Source: Connecticut Governor