Title 54 — Title 54: Criminal Procedure

Sec. 54-45. When grand jury is required. Selecting grand jury. Alternate grand jurors. (a) The Superior Court may, when necessary, order a grand jury of eighteen electors of the judicial district where said court is sitting to be summoned, impaneled and sworn to inquire after and…

Sec. 54-45a. Record of grand jury proceedings. Transcripts. (a) In any grand jury proceeding ordered pursuant to the provisions of section 54-45, the official stenographer of the Superior Court or his assistant shall make a record of the proceedings excluding the deliberations, w…

Sec. 54-46. Prosecution on complaint or information. For all crimes charged by the state on or after May 26, 1983, the prosecution may be by complaint or information. For all crimes punishable by death or imprisonment for life charged by the state before May 26, 1983, the prosecu…

Sec. 54-46a. Probable cause hearing for persons charged with crimes punishable by death, life imprisonment without possibility of release or life imprisonment. (a) No person charged by the state, who has not been indicted by a grand jury prior to May 26, 1983, shall be put to ple…

Sec. 54-47. Investigations into commission of crime. Section 54-47 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 8777; 1953, S. 3324d; 1969, P.A. 631, S. 2; 1971, P.A. 860; P.A. 73-116, S. 2; 73-667, S. 1, 2; P.A. 74-183, S. 139, 291; 74-186, S. 2, 12; P.A. 76-436, S. 10a, 538, 681; P.A. 78-280, S…

Sec. 54-47a. Compelling testimony of witness. Immunity from prosecution. (a) Whenever in the judgment of the Chief State's Attorney, a state's attorney or the deputy chief state's attorney, the testimony of any witness or the production of books, papers or other evidence of any w…

Sec. 54-47aa. Ex parte order to compel disclosure of or direct application to carrier or provider for certain telephone and Internet records. (a) For the purposes of this section: (1) “Basic subscriber information” means: (A) Name, (B) address, (C) local and long distance telepho…

Sec. 54-47b. Investigatory grand jury. Definitions. For the purposes of sections 54-47a to 54-47h, inclusive: (1) “Applicant” means any judge of the Superior Court, Appellate Court or Supreme Court, the Chief State's Attorney or a state's attorney who makes an application to a pa…

Sec. 54-47c. Application for investigation into commission of crime. (a) Any judge of the Superior Court, Appellate Court or Supreme Court, the Chief State's Attorney or a state's attorney may make application to a panel of judges for an investigation into the commission of a cri…

Sec. 54-47d. Appointment of investigatory grand jury. Duration and scope of investigation. (a) If the panel approves the application and orders an investigation into the commission of a crime or crimes, the Chief Court Administrator shall (1) appoint an investigatory grand jury t…

Sec. 54-47e. Sealing of order and application. Summary of scope of investigation. Disclosure. Any order authorizing the investigation into the commission of a crime or crimes and any application filed with the panel pursuant to section 54-47c or subsection (c) of section 54-47d s…

Sec. 54-47f. Conduct of investigation. Testimony of witnesses. (a) The investigatory grand jury, in conducting the investigation, may (1) seek the assistance of the Chief State's Attorney or state's attorney who filed the application, or his designee, (2) appoint an attorney to p…

Sec. 54-47g. Finding and record of investigation. Disclosure. Hearing. Access to testimony. (a) Within sixty days of the conclusion of the investigation, the investigatory grand jury conducting such investigation shall file its finding with the court of the judicial district desi…

Sec. 54-47h. Report. In January of each year, the panel of judges appointed pursuant to section 54-47b shall report to the Chief Court Administrator, who shall in turn report to the Chief Justice, Governor and General Assembly, the following information with respect to applicatio…

Sec. 54-47i. Authority of investigation ordered prior to October 1, 1985. (a) The authority of any judge, state referee or three judges of the Superior Court to conduct an inquiry to determine whether or not there is probable cause to believe that a crime or crimes have been comm…

Secs. 54-47j to 54-47z. Reserved for future use.

Sec. 54-48. Reward for arrest of capital offender or felon. When any crime punishable by death or imprisonment for more than one year has been committed, the Governor, upon application of the state's attorney for the judicial district in which it has been committed, may offer, pu…

Sec. 54-49. Reward for information as to high crime or crime resulting in death of police officer or firefighter. (a) When any high crime has been committed in any municipality, the chief executive officer of such municipality, as described in section 7-193, may offer, publicly, …

Sec. 54-50. Reward for information as to unlawful disinterment of corpse. For any violation of the provisions of section 53-334, the Governor, upon application of the selectmen of the town where the offense has been committed, shall, publicly, offer a reward, not exceeding two hu…

Sec. 54-51. Reward for information as to theft of motor vehicle, livestock or poultry. Section 54-51 is repealed, effective October 1, 2003. (1949 Rev., S. 8272; P.A. 74-338, S. 55, 94; P.A. 03-9, S. 1.)

Sec. 54-52. Determination of claims to reward. When any reward is offered for the recovery of stolen property, or for information which may lead to the conviction of any criminal, or for both, the court before which conviction is had or the superior court for the judicial distric…

Sec. 54-53. Release by correctional officials. Each person detained in a community correctional center pursuant to the issuance of a bench warrant of arrest or for arraignment, sentencing or trial for an offense not punishable by death shall be entitled to bail and shall be relea…

Sec. 54-53a. Detention of persons who have not made bail. (a) No person who has not made bail may be detained in a correctional facility pursuant to the issuance of a bench warrant of arrest or for arraignment, sentencing or trial for an offense not punishable by death, for longe…

Secs. 54-54 and 54-55. Original information in Court of Common Pleas. Information in cases appealed to Court of Common Pleas. Sections 54-54 and 54-55 are repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 8767, 8768; 1961, P.A. 517, S. 71.)

Sec. 54-56. Dismissal of information by court. All courts having jurisdiction of criminal cases shall at all times have jurisdiction and control over informations and criminal cases pending therein and may, at any time, upon motion by the defendant, dismiss any information and or…

Sec. 54-56a. (Formerly Sec. 54-2b). Pleading by mail in certain motor vehicle cases. In any criminal action arising out of an alleged violation of the law relating to motor vehicles, except a violation of section 14-219 specified in subsection (e) of said section 14-219, appearan…

Sec. 54-56b. Right to dismissal or trial on nolle. A nolle prosequi may not be entered as to any count in a complaint or information if the accused objects to the nolle prosequi and demands either a trial or dismissal, except with respect to prosecutions in which a nolle prosequi…

Sec. 54-56c. Request for privileged trial status. If the accused enters a plea of not guilty, the state's attorney, assistant state's attorney or deputy assistant state's attorney may, in accordance with rules adopted by the judges of the Superior Court, request that the case be …

Sec. 54-56d. (Formerly Sec. 54-40). Competency to stand trial. (a) Competency requirement. Definition. A defendant shall not be tried, convicted or sentenced while the defendant is not competent. For the purposes of this section, a defendant is not competent if the defendant is u…

Sec. 54-56e. (Formerly Sec. 54-76p). Accelerated pretrial rehabilitation. (a) There shall be a pretrial program for accelerated rehabilitation of persons accused of a crime or crimes or a motor vehicle violation or violations for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment may be …

Sec. 54-56f. (Formerly Sec. 54-5). Requirements of sureties of the peace. Any judge of the Superior Court may, from his personal knowledge or upon complaint of another, require sureties of the peace and good behavior from any person who threatens to beat or kill another or resist…

Sec. 54-56g. Pretrial alcohol education program. (a)(1) There shall be a pretrial alcohol education program for persons charged with a violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g or 14-227m, subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n or section 15-133 or 15-140n. Upon …

Sec. 54-56h. Consideration of defendant's contribution to Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund or of community service work hours. Payment of monetary contribution to fund. (a) The court may, in the disposition of any criminal or motor vehicle case, including a dismissal or the im…

Sec. 54-56i. Pretrial drug education and community service program. (a) There is established a pretrial drug education and community service program for persons charged with a violation of section 21a-257, 21a-267, 21a-279, or 21a-279a. The pretrial drug education and community s…

Sec. 54-56j. Pretrial school violence prevention program. (a) There shall be a school violence prevention program for students of a public or private secondary school charged with an offense involving the use or threatened use of physical violence in or on the real property compr…

Sec. 54-56k. Pretrial account. (a) There is established an account to be known as the pretrial account. The account shall contain any moneys required by law to be deposited in the account and shall be a separate, nonlapsing account of the General Fund. Investment earnings credite…

Sec. 54-56l. Pretrial supervised diversionary program for persons with psychiatric disabilities and veterans. (a) There shall be a supervised diversionary program for persons with psychiatric disabilities, or persons who are veterans, who are accused of a crime or crimes or a mot…

Sec. 54-56m. Mediation programs. (a) There shall be established, in the geographical area of the Superior Court for the towns of Berlin, New Britain, Newington, Rocky Hill and Wethersfield, the geographical area of the Superior Court for the towns of Bethlehem, Middlebury, Naugat…

Sec. 54-56n. Pretrial and diversionary program data collection and reporting. (a) The Judicial Branch shall collect data on the number of members of the armed forces, veterans and nonveterans who, on and after January 1, 2016, apply for and are granted admission or are denied ent…

Sec. 54-56o. Nolle prosequi in certain family violence cases. For any family violence case initiated on or after July 1, 2016, that is not referred to the local family violence intervention unit as provided in subsection (g) of section 46b-38c, the prosecuting authority shall not…

Sec. 54-56p. Program for young persons charged with a motor vehicle violation or alcohol-related offense. (a) The court may, in its discretion, invoke a program on motion of a defendant or on motion of a state's attorney or prosecuting attorney with respect to a defendant who (1)…

Sec. 54-56q. Pretrial drug intervention and community service program. (a)(1) There is established a pretrial drug intervention and community service program for persons charged with a violation of section 21a-257, 21a-267, 21a-279 or 21a-279a. The program shall consist of a twel…

Sec. 54-56r. Pretrial impaired driving intervention program. (a)(1) There is established a pretrial impaired driving intervention program for persons charged with a violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g, 14-227m, 14-227n, subsection (d) of section 15-133 or section 15-140n. The p…

Sec. 54-57. Joinder of offenses of the same character. Whenever two or more cases are pending at the same time against the same party in the same court for offenses of the same character, counts for such offenses may be joined in one information unless the court orders otherwise.…

Sec. 54-58. Description of money in complaint or information. When it is necessary to describe any bill issued by the United States or by any national banking association or to describe any United States coin issued as money, it shall be a sufficient description to set forth in t…

Sec. 54-59. Statement of ownership, partnership or joint tenancy in indictment, information or complaint. When in any indictment, information or complaint it is necessary to state the ownership of any property owned or possessed by more persons than one, it shall be sufficient to…

Sec. 54-60. Allegations in criminal cases. Whenever any indictment, information or complaint is pending before any court, a conviction may be had for any offense sufficiently alleged therein or for an attempt to commit such offense, and the accused may be convicted or such court …

Sec. 54-61. Complaints for offenses specified in special acts, ordinances and bylaws. In any complaint or other process for an offense against the provisions of a special act or of an ordinance or bylaw of any town, city or borough, it shall be sufficient to set forth the offense…

Sec. 54-62. Allegation of previous conviction. When, in any criminal complaint or information, it is necessary to set out a previous conviction for a similar offense, such previous conviction shall be held to be sufficiently alleged by naming the date when, the town or city where…

Sec. 54-63. Mode of informing against larceny by embezzlement. In any complaint or information for the crime of larceny by embezzlement, when it is unknown to the informing officer whether the total sum taken and appropriated was taken and appropriated at one or different times, …