In his recent State of the State address, Gov. Dannel Malloy painted a dire financial picture for the state and spoke of a budget plan that would cut the state workforce by about 1,000 people. Even though Malloy characterized “administering justice” as a “core function” of state government, his spending proposal could have a significant impact on the Judicial Branch and other agencies involved in the criminal justice system.
While the state Judicial Branch isn’t yet commenting on possible personnel cuts, the Division of Criminal Justice, which includes state prosecutors, is projecting a loss of 50 positions. And a high-ranking state public defender called a proposed $5 million reduction to the Division of Public Defender Services budget “problematic,” even during a time of decreasing crime rates.
