This story has been updated. Advocates, formerly incarcerated people and family members of incarcerated men and women are calling on state lawmakers to put forward a bill that would prevent people on probation from being sent back to prison for minor technical violations. Legislation was intr oduced this past spring by Rep. Josh Hall, D-Hartford, but it failed to receive a public hearing. Advocates are urging lawmakers to consider a similar bill during the coming 2026 session. Hall’s proposal sought to prevent people from being automatically sent back to prison for non-criminal violations of parole — things like missed appointments, failed drug tests, missing curfew or treatment or leaving the state without permission. Hall’s bill also suggested introducing a system of “earned time credit” where people’s probation sentences could be shortened for complying with the conditions of their release. It would also have removed the fees associated with probation, including a $200 supervision fee and additional fees that vary depending on which program the probationer is enrolled in. (The $200 fee is usually waived by the court, and that program fees for sex offender programs are based on a sliding scale depending on a person’s income, according to a spokesperson for the Judicial Branch.) Advocates and lawmakers gathered to discuss the issue at the Elmwood Community Center in West Hartford last week. At the event, Talia Orr, co-founder of Seniors in Hartford Organizing for Power, told the story of her grandson, who is currently incarcerated. Several years ago, at age 28, he was arrested and placed on probation for three-and-a-half years. For the first two-and-a-half years, Orr said, her grandson was doing well until he missed a dose of medication. He missed a required health care appointment — a violation of his probation — and was sent back to prison for two months on a $50,000 bond. Orr declined to give her grandson’s name, citing concerns for his safety. Orr said after her grandson was released, he checked into a rehab center. But his probation officer failed to inform the court, she said. When her grandson missed a required court date, a warrant was issued for his arrest and he was incarcerated again, this time on a $100,000 bond.  Orr told the Connecticut Mirror that after about 30 days, things were straightened out with the court and her grandson was released. But in September of this year, his probation was revoked after being arrested again on another technical violation. He took a plea deal and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years.  “If he makes it through all the restriction and pressures, including receiving proper medication and reentry support, that will really help stabilize him,” Orr said at the event. “He will be 37 years old.” Alex Brown, who is now working toward a masters degree in social work at the University of Connecticut, said at last week’s event that she also faced challenges while on probation. She’d spent four-and-a-half years at York Correctional Institution after being charged with vehicular manslaughter at age 19. At age 25, she was released on probation, and vowed she would never be incarcerated again.  “ For many women, the fear of a [probation] violation shapes everything. A missed curfew, a forgotten permission slip, a phone call that doesn’t go through, any of it can mean being sent back,” Brown said.  After years on probation, Brown said she received a violation for having police contact during a domestic violence incident. She was arrested and incarcerated for 48 hours.  “ When I was originally incarcerated, I used to watch women come back again and again, and I just didn’t understand why. I used to think if someone just gave me a chance, I would never come back,” Brown said. “But I went back too — and it’s not because I was dangerous. It’s not because I committed a new crime, but because technical violations function as a revolving door in the system.”  For Brown, the violation also led to an extension of her probation period. She has now been on probation for nine years.  “Technical violations function as a revolving door in the system.” Alex Brown Lawmakers who were present at the meeting expressed concerns that probation violations are required to be listed on applications for food assistance, known as SNAP.  State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, a member of the Judiciary Committee, told CT Mirror that she planned to rally other lawmakers to pressure the legislature’s Judiciary Committee chairs to take up the bill when the 2026 legislative session begins in February.  “ The system’s broken, and people are just trying to do their best and keep getting punished,” said Gilchrest. “ People should not be incarcerated for these technical violations. It just feels like we keep moving back the starting line.” Gilchrest said that as chair of the Human Services Committee, she could also introduce a separate bill that would address one of the concerns of advocates — the fact that people have to report any violations of probation on their applications for SNAP benefits, making them ineligible for SNAP.   “And to hear … you missed a letter, or you got caught doing something that’s not putting the public in danger, and now you’re going to lose your food and you’re going to be put back in jail … that seems absurd,” said Gilchrest.  Rep. Kate Farrar, D-West Hartford, who also attended the event, said she sees a clear need to boost funding for reentry centers, which provide assistance to returning citizens. “It’s really about making sure that as folks are coming back into their communities, that they actually have a fair shot at being able to support themselves,” Farrar said.  Sen. Gary Winfield, a New Haven Democrat who co-chairs the Judiciary Committee, told CT Mirror in an interview that he supported the concept of the bill. He said depending on the probation officer, parole violations could be “teachable moments” for both the officer and the person on probation, or they could be used as overly constrictive ways to control the probationer.  “It’s an important subject that I think should be raised,” he said.   But Winfield said he couldn’t promise the committee would introduce a bill, given the large number of issues they have to consider in a short timeframe.  Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, said in an email to CT Mirror that while he was “sensitive” to the concerns about probation, which had been discussed in the past, the bill had failed to get widespread support from lawmakers.  “Perhaps it will be looked upon more favorably during the upcoming session that begins in early February,” he said.  Correction: A previous version of this story said Talia Orr’s grandson was assigned a $500,000 bond when he was incarcerated again. The bond was set at $100,000.  ...read more read less