OLR Report 2012-R-0134 provides a breakdown of all crimes in the Connecticut Penal Code (Title 53a of the General Statutes). The report has a chart with information on penalties. This report updates OLR Report 2010-R-0240.
The report lists all of the crimes contained in the Penal Code. It updates previous reports to reflect changes from the 2011 session. Statutes with criminal penalties that are codified outside the Penal Code are not included in this report. OLR Report 2012-R-0062 lists all statutes with criminal penalties.
Criminal offenses in Connecticut are classified as felonies, which are punishable by imprisonment for over one year, and misdemeanors, which are punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year. In turn, felonies are classified according to severity as capital, class A, class B, class C, and class D. Misdemeanors are classified as class A, class B, and class C. There are unclassified felonies and misdemeanors which are punishable by imprisonment but not designated under one of the classes listed above.
Terms of imprisonment in Connecticut must be for specific periods of time. Judges set the specific sentence for each offender from a range of sentences and fines set out in the statutes. A judge may impose a fine, a term of imprisonment, or both.
This report focuses on prison sentences and does not include fines that apply to the crimes in the Penal Code, sex offender registry requirements, and other consequences of a conviction. We also exclude statutes that are punishable as infractions or by a fine only.
Table 1 in the report displays all of the crimes in the Penal Code arranged by classification. It displays the authorized prison sentences for each and any mandatory minimum sentence that applies.
In addition to the crimes contained in Table 1, the Penal Code also includes enhanced penalties for persistent offenders, acts of terrorism, and certain other types of offenders. These provisions are described below in Table 2 in the report.
For more information, read the full report.
