What is it About Prison That Turns a Man’s Thoughts to Sprucing Up Waterbury?

The Waterbury Republican American is on to a story of more than local interest with last week’s “Pedophile Police Office Paroled” about the early release of former Waterbury lieutenant Robert Kennedy’s early release from prison.  Kennedy is one year into a three year sentence for “second-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a minor, illegal sexual contact and third-degree possession of child pornography,” according to the story by Jonathan Shugarts.

The a recording of the 45 minute parole board meeting is edited to 14 minutes on the Republican American site.  The board’s explanation for voting to release Kennedy in July, after he’ll have served half his sentence, is offered near the end of the recording. He’s in protective custody and cannot participate in sex-offender treatment in prison.  There ought to be a way to provide sex offender treatment for an inmate in protective custody short of releasing him halfway through his sentence.

Kennedy, who worked as a sessional employee at the legislature long ago, told the parole board he was flattered by the attentions of the 15 year old he saw sitting “on a grassy knoll” in a Waterbury park. The boy was “coquettish,” not a word you’re likely to hear very often in 21st century Waterbury, or even contemporary Paris.  The boy, a high school student, appealed to what Kennedy called his own “unflattering urges.”  The motion to release Kennedy early passed unanimously at Thursday’s hearing.

Upon release Kennedy hopes to get back into the business of restoring houses in Waterbury.  Perhaps former Governor John G. Rowland, economic development coordinator for Waterbury, will lend a hand.

The parole board was reorganized in the aftermath of the revelation that the two men accused of murdering Jennifer Hawk-Petit and her two daughters in 2007 had been released early from incarceration.  This story does nothing to restore the public’s faith in the decisions made by it in its new incarnation.