Author Wally Lamb Testifies for Early Release of Some Violent Criminals

By Jessie King

There's a bill wending its way through Connecticut's legislature right now that would see dozens of violent criminals come up much earlier for parole than intended under their original sentences. 

If approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor, House Bill 6581 could see teenagers convicted of violent crimes released from prison a decade or two early.   
Critically acclaimed Connecticut author Wally Lamb, who has written well-known books like “She’s Come Undone” and “I Know This Much is True” has facilitated a writing program at York Correctional Institution since 1999 according to Wikipedia. Lamb testified on behalf of the legislation in March.   

He said in part, “Legislators, I come here today to ask you–implore you– to hammer out a bill, get it out of committee and get it passed so that our state can undo the damage of past administrations and past legislative sessions and create a procedure by which juvenile offenders with long sentences can get a ‘second look’ –a second chance– after they have served a portion of their sentence.”  

Lamb’s testimony was influenced after working with inmates at YCI who have turned their lives around and have been rehabilitated during their incarceration. Lamb incorporated in his testimony, the story of one woman he called Keesha who was convicted on a homicide charge when she was 15.   He said Keesha's parents were drug addicts and she homeless at the time of her crime, which Lamb describes as a “robbery-gone-wrong.” 

Her testimony says that she attempted suicide to escape the guilt and remorse she felt but later developed a sense of self-worth and a spiritual connection with God. She has since earned her GED and is a Certified Nurse’s Assistant and facilitates a group for at-risk youth. 

The House voted 137-4 last week to pass the bill. Rep. Ed Jutila, D-East Lyme voted in favor of the measure, which now goes to the Senate. The move follows two U.S. Supreme Court decisions in recent years that rejected long prison terms for violent criminals convicted as teenagers.   

Lamb’s testimony continued with, “We in Connecticut need to stop throwing away the lives of children prematurely branded as hopeless incorrigibles. We need to replace hopelessness with hope and give inmates like Keesha a ‘second look’ by which they might have the opportunity to access responsible adult lives beyond the gate and razor-wire crowned walls.”

The legislative proposal would mean that some inmates convicted of crimes such as rape, kidnapping and murder could get out of prison while they are still relatively young. People like Robin Ledbetter, who was 14 years old when she was charged with robbing and stabbing to death a Hartford taxi driver.    

Lamb has published two books from his work with YCI inmates:Couldn’t Keep It to Myself: Testimonies from Our Imprisoned Sisters and I’ll Fly Away: Further Testimonies from the Women of York Prison.