Can you post a bail bond on a Connecticut parole hold?

No, and no one can. A parole rearrest is not a court proceeding: under § 54-127 the request of the Commissioner of Correction, a designated Department of Correction officer, or the Board of Pardons and Paroles or its chairman is sufficient warrant to return a parolee to custody, and an officer shall arrest and hold that person when so requested, without any written warrant. No judge sets bail, so there is nothing for a bond to attach to. If an agency offers to bond someone out from under a parole hold, that is not a service that exists.

How long can someone be held after a parole violation?

Under § 54-128(a) a paroled inmate returned for a violation may be retained for a period equal to the unexpired portion of the sentence as at the date of the request or order for return, less earned time — and the board may in its discretion forfeit any or all of that earned time, or parole the person again. Where special parole is revoked, § 54-125e(f) allows commitment for a period not exceeding the unexpired portion of the special parole, and § 54-128(c) caps incarceration plus special parole at the maximum sentence authorised for the offence.

How is this different from a probation violation?

Almost entirely. Probation is a court sentence supervised by the Court Support Services Division, and a violation returns to the Superior Court under § 53a-32 — where § 53a-32(a) expressly applies the ordinary bail provisions, and the charge must be disposed of or scheduled for hearing within 120 days of arraignment. Parole is administered by the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the rearrest needs no warrant, and there is no bail. If you are unsure which applies, check whether the supervising officer works for the Judicial Branch or the Department of Correction.

Can a positive cannabis test revoke parole in Connecticut?

Usually not. Section 54-125k(a) provides that use or possession of cannabis that does not violate § 21a-279a or chapter 420f shall not be grounds for revocation of parole, special parole or probation. The exception in § 54-125k(b) applies only where the conditions include a finding that cannabis use would pose a danger to the person or the public, a condition not to use it, and individualised reasons supporting that finding — and such a finding may not rest on prior arrests or convictions for use or possession of cannabis.

Parole Violation Bail Bonds

Q: Then when does a bail bond matter on a parole case?

When there is also a new criminal charge. That charge is an ordinary Superior Court matter: the police release interview and an officer-set bond under § 54-63c(a), a free bail commissioner or intake, assessment and referral specialist under § 54-63d, prompt presentment under § 54-1g(a), and conditions of release set by the judge under § 54-64a — where a judge may never prohibit a bond from being posted by surety. Posting it satisfies the court, but the person stays in custody while the parole hold stands.

Q: Who decides whether parole is revoked?

The Board of Pardons and Paroles. Under § 54-127a all parole revocation and rescission hearings are conducted by an employee of the board, and parole is revoked or rescinded only if that employee recommends it and the recommendation is approved by at least two members of a panel of the board. For special parole, § 54-125e(d) requires a hearing without unnecessary delay at which the person is informed of the alleged violation and advised of their due process rights.

Parole Violation in Connecticut: Why a Bail Bond Cannot Lift a Parole Hold, and What Can Be Done

Who Decides

The Board of Pardons and Paroles. Not a court, and not a bondsman

Rearrest

the Commissioner's or Board's request is warrant enough, without any written warrant

Bail

None on the hold itself. A bond exists only for a separate new criminal charge under

Available

24 / 7 / 365

Liza Davis

Licensed Connecticut Bail Bond Agent · Since 2007

My license is current and searchable. This page is informative rather than legal advice about parole in Connecticut. For the Board hearing a lawyer is what matters.

Two Different Things Are Usually Happening at the Same Time

Parole rearrest and a criminal charge run through different systems and decisions. Money that you pay on one does nothing for the other. Most people do not hear about this until after they pay.

The parole side is an issue with the Board of Pardons and Paroles which is created under. Under a request from the Commissioner of Correction or a Board member is sufficient warrant to return a person to custody which means that no judge and no bail amount exist.

The criminal system involved in this charge is a regular case in court and has its own bail system.

I would rather you read it on this page than hear it from me after your family pays.

If someone you know got arrested on a parole matter in Connecticut call us to determine what they are actually charged with.

Call us and we'll work out what is actually holding them, before anybody spends a dollar.

(860) 818-7078. Call Now, 24/7

How the parole side works

Rearrest without a warrant. Under the Commissioner of Correction, a designated DOC officer or the Board can ask for someone to be brought back, and that request is the warrant. The request from the Commissioner is necessary for a parole violator arrested for a serious firearm offense.
Board hearing not a court date. Under all parole revocation hearings are held by a Board employee. Parole goes off only when recommendations from the employee are accepted by at least two members of the Board.
How long individuals can be kept. According to, individuals brought in due to a violation can be held for a time equivalent to whatever time is left on the sentence as of the time of the return request or order, minus any good time accrued. The board also has the option to take away any or all accrued good time.
Special parole operates in its own system. In case of a violation involving special parole, obliges the Board to hold a hearing for the individual as soon as possible, where the individual is informed of the accusation against him/her, as well as his/her rights. If the violation is confirmed, the Board is allowed to extend the special parole, change its conditions or terminate it. In case of termination the chairperson is able to present a mittimus to hold the person for however long is left of his/her special parole, while the Board can also remetrize the individual without a judge's order. In accordance with, the total time spent in prison and special parole must not exceed the maximum term that can be imposed for a given crime.

Where a Bail Bond Does Apply, and What It Achieves

In cases in which bail bonds are applicable, the following happens:

Case processing by police;
Arrested individual is presented to the court;
Bond is set in accordance with the arrangements made by the judge. It should be noted that the bail should be sufficient to guarantee that the defendant appears in court.

Court's acceptance of the bond concludes the matter, but the individual will remain in custody while the parole hold is not removed. If the decision is made to post the bail, it is ideal as it creates one less problem for the Board at a later stage of decision making.

You can run the numbers on our bail bond calculator, and our felony bail bonds page walks through the process in detail.

Use of Probation and Parole for Subsequent Offences

Intentionally confused by the families in questions, the two terms denote different systems.

Probation is a court sentence governed by the Court Support Services Division that receives all of the proceedings in the form of applies in regards to the accepted practice of posting bonds. In this case the change must be addressed within the maximum limit of 120 days from the day of the arrest. We provide information about that on our probation violation bail bonds page.
Parole is defined as getting released from the prison term, which is controlled by the Board of Pardons and Paroles. The rearrest is carried out upon the order of the Board or the Commissioner, without permission of any formal document, and the hearing is held by the Board. There is never any option for a bail here.

If you don't know which case you find yourself in, you can just check whom the supervising officer reports to: to the Court Support Services Division of the Judicial Branch or to the parole division of the Department of Correction. Let us know whether and we will be able to decide on the case you are dealing with.

Which Court, and Where They Are Held

A new charge gets arraigned at the geographical area (GA) courthouse that serves the town of arrest. Connecticut has 17 GA courthouses, numbered 1 through 23 with gaps in the sequence, including GA-22 Milford and GA-23 New Haven. A GA is the Superior Court. The full list sits on our Connecticut bail bonds services hub.

Anyone held on a parole matter is in Department of Correction custody, and where they get placed is a DOC call, not something a bondsman picks or influences. Two naming points come up on the phone all the time. The Uncasville facility that older pages still call Corrigan-Radgowski is listed today as Corrigan Correctional Center, Level 3/4, pretrial and sentenced. MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield is a Level 4/5 facility holding long-term sentenced people, protective custody and high bond unsentenced people. Women are at York Correctional Institution in Niantic. Addresses and phone numbers are on our Connecticut DOC facility guide, and calling the facility directly is usually how a family confirms a hold exists at all.

We are here for the state - including Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Stamford, New Britain, Middletown, Cheshire, New London, and Norwich.

Questions Frequently Asked about Parole Violations

Is it possible to post a bail bond for the parole hold?

No, it is impossible for all other people, either. The case of parole arrest is not going to be tried in the court. The parole of a person is based on the request of the Commissioner of Correction, Bureau of Pardons, and Paroles and it is enough for the person to get arrested and detained. No bond nor payment can be established there, therefore there is no need in contacting your bail bond agency.

Then when does a bail bond matter on a parole case?

The only case where the bail bond could work is if a new offense has been committed in addition. It is a regular court procedure. The case involves such processes as the police interview, the order of the officer on establishing the bond, the work of the bail commission, among others.

Who decides whether parole is revoked?

The Board of Pardons and Paroles is the one to decide whether it is going to revoke the left parole. The Board members will include only 1 employee in the decision-making process and at least two other attorneys supporting his decision.

How long can the client stay in prison after he/she has breached the parole?

Under, if an inmate returns from paroled status for violating his parole, he may be kept for a time length equal to his active sentence in force at the time when the return request was issued or at the time of the order to return the inmate minus any earned good time credits. The board can choose to forfeit any part of the earned good time or to parole the inmate anew. In cases of termination, according to, the duration of imprisonment shall not exceed that of the unfulfilled term of special parole. The rules set forth in state that imprisonment plus special parole should carry on themselves the highest sentence for which the felon was punished.

But how does it differ from a violation of probation?

Quite a lot. Unlike conditional discharge, which is enforced by the executive branch, probation deals with a supervised sentence. Since Probation violation is adjudicated in the Superior Court in compliance with the rules of, certain procedures need to be followed, for this case applies, which says that the relevant initial hearing should be held in the course of 120 days since the arraignment. Moreover, the system of parole is subjected to rules applied by the Board of Pardons and Paroles, parolees may be rearrested without obtaining any warrant beforehand and bail is not necessary for those cases.

Can a positive cannabis test result be a reason for revoking parole in Connecticut?

Generally speaking, it is not. As stated in, usage or possession of cannabis that does not contradict or cannot serve as a reason for invalidating parole, special parole, or probation. The only exception provided in is rather narrow; it applies when conditions of release show that usage may become dangerous and provides strict grounds for a decision.