(a) For the purposes of this section and sections 31-51i, 46a-80, 54-108f, 54-130a and 54-301:

(1) “Barrier” means a denial of employment or a license based on an eligible offender's conviction of a crime without due consideration of whether the nature of the crime bears a direct relationship to such employment or license;

(2) “Direct relationship” means that the nature of criminal conduct for which a person was convicted has a direct bearing on the person's fitness or ability to perform one or more of the duties or responsibilities necessarily related to the applicable employment or license;

(3) “Certificate of rehabilitation” means a form of relief from barriers or forfeitures to employment or the issuance of licenses, other than a provisional pardon, that is granted to an eligible offender by (A) the Board of Pardons and Paroles pursuant to this section, or (B) the Court Support Services Division of the Judicial Branch pursuant to section 54-108f;

(4) “Eligible offender” means a person who has been convicted of a crime or crimes in this state or another jurisdiction and who is a resident of this state and (A) is applying for a provisional pardon or is under the jurisdiction of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, or (B) with respect to a certificate of rehabilitation under section 54-108f, is under the supervision of the Court Support Services Division of the Judicial Branch;

(5) “Employment” means any remunerative work, occupation or vocation or any form of vocational training, but does not include employment with a law enforcement agency;

(6) “Forfeiture” means a disqualification or ineligibility for employment or a license by reason of law based on an eligible offender's conviction of a crime;

(7) “License” means any license, permit, certificate or registration that is required to be issued by the state or any of its agencies to pursue, practice or engage in an occupation, trade, vocation, profession or business; and

(8) “Provisional pardon” means a form of relief from barriers or forfeitures to employment or the issuance of licenses granted to an eligible offender by the Board of Pardons and Paroles pursuant to subsections (b) to (i), inclusive, of this section.

(b) The Board of Pardons and Paroles may issue a provisional pardon or a certificate of rehabilitation to relieve an eligible offender of barriers or forfeitures by reason of such person's conviction of the crime or crimes specified in such provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation. Such provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation may be limited to one or more enumerated barriers or forfeitures or may relieve the eligible offender of all barriers and forfeitures. Such certificate of rehabilitation shall be labeled by the board as a “Certificate of Employability” or a “Certificate of Suitability for Licensure”, or both, as deemed appropriate by the board. No provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation shall apply or be construed to apply to the right of such person to retain or be eligible for public office.

(c) The Board of Pardons and Paroles may, in its discretion, issue a provisional pardon or a certificate of rehabilitation to an eligible offender upon verified application of such eligible offender. The board may issue a provisional pardon or a certificate of rehabilitation at any time after the sentencing of an eligible offender, including, but not limited to, any time prior to the eligible offender's date of release from the custody of the Commissioner of Correction, probation or parole. Such provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation may be issued by a pardon panel of the board or a parole release panel of the board.

(d) The board shall not issue a provisional pardon or a certificate of rehabilitation unless the board is satisfied that:

(1) The person to whom the provisional pardon or the certificate of rehabilitation is to be issued is an eligible offender;

(2) The relief to be granted by the provisional pardon or the certificate of rehabilitation may promote the public policy of rehabilitation of ex-offenders through employment; and

(3) The relief to be granted by the provisional pardon or the certificate of rehabilitation is consistent with the public interest in public safety, the safety of any victim of the offense and the protection of property.

(e) In accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, the board may limit the applicability of the provisional pardon or the certificate of rehabilitation to specified types of employment or licensure for which the eligible offender is otherwise qualified.

(f) The board may, for the purpose of determining whether such provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation should be issued, request its staff to conduct an investigation of the applicant and submit to the board a report of the investigation. Any written report submitted to the board pursuant to this subsection shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed except to the applicant and where required or permitted by any provision of the general statutes or upon specific authorization of the board.

(g) If a provisional pardon or a certificate of rehabilitation is issued by the board pursuant to this section before an eligible offender has completed service of the offender's term of incarceration, probation or parole, or any combination thereof, the provisional pardon or the certificate of rehabilitation shall be deemed to be temporary until the eligible offender completes such eligible offender's term of incarceration, probation or parole. During the period that such provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation is temporary, the board may revoke such provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation for a violation of the conditions of such eligible offender's probation or parole. After the eligible offender completes such eligible offender's term of incarceration, probation or parole, the temporary provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation shall become permanent.

(h) The board may at any time issue a new provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation to enlarge the relief previously granted, and the provisions of subsections (b) to (f), inclusive, of this section shall apply to the issuance of any new provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation.

(i) The application for a provisional pardon or a certificate of rehabilitation, the report of an investigation conducted pursuant to subsection (f) of this section, the provisional pardon or the certificate of rehabilitation and the revocation of a provisional pardon or a certificate of rehabilitation shall be in such form and contain such information as the Board of Pardons and Paroles shall prescribe.

(j) If a temporary certificate of rehabilitation issued under this section or section 54-108f is revoked, barriers and forfeitures thereby relieved shall be reinstated as of the date the person to whom the temporary certificate of rehabilitation was issued receives written notice of the revocation. Any such person shall surrender the temporary certificate of rehabilitation to the issuing board or division upon receipt of the notice.

(k) The board shall revoke a provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation if the person to whom it was issued is convicted of a crime, as defined in section 53a-24, after the issuance of the provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation.

(l) Not later than October 1, 2015, and annually thereafter, the board shall submit to the Office of Policy and Management and the Connecticut Sentencing Commission, in such form as the office may prescribe, data on the number of applications received for provisional pardons and certificates of rehabilitation, the number of applications denied, the number of applications granted and the number of provisional pardons and certificates of rehabilitation revoked.

(P.A. 06-187, S. 84, 85; P.A. 14-27, S. 2.)

History: P.A. 14-27 added provisions re certificate of rehabilitation throughout, amended Subsec. (a) to add references to Secs. 54-108f and 54-301, add new Subdiv. (2) defining “direct relationship”, add new Subdiv. (3) defining “certificate of rehabilitation”, redesignate existing Subdivs. (2) to (6) as Subdivs. (4) to (8) and redefine “eligible offender” in redesignated Subdiv. (4), amended Subsec. (c) to add provisions re issuance at any time prior to eligible offender's date of release and re issuance by panel, amended Subsec. (d)(3) to add provision re safety of any victim of offense, amended Subsec. (g) to add provisions re issuance before eligible offender has completed service of term and re when temporary provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation becomes permanent, added Subsec. (j) re revocation of temporary certificate of rehabilitation, added Subsec. (k) re revocation of provisional pardon or certificate of rehabilitation, added Subsec. (l) re submission of data to Office of Policy and Management and Connecticut Sentencing Commission, and made technical and conforming changes.