Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-279 (2026)

(a) The Chief State's Attorney, with the advice of the Division of Criminal Justice Advisory Board under section 51-279a, shall administer, direct, supervise, coordinate and control the operations, activities and programs of the division as it shall apply to the Superior Court. He shall: (1) Establish such bureaus, divisions, facilities and offices, including an appellate unit, a racketeering and continuing criminal activities unit and a bond forfeiture unit, and select such professional, technical and other personnel, including chief inspectors, as he deems reasonably necessary for the efficient operation and discharge of the duties of the division, subject to the personnel policies and compensation plan established by the Department of Administrative Services; (2) adopt and enforce rules and regulations to carry out the purposes of this chapter; (3) establish guidelines, policies and procedures for the internal operation and administration of the division which shall be binding on all division personnel; (4) enter into contracts with consultants and such other persons as are necessary for the proper functioning of the office; (5) engage in long-range planning and review policy and legislation concerning the administration of criminal justice in the state and recommend needed changes and additions thereto; (6) collect statistical data concerning administration of criminal justice in the state and furnish the data to the appropriate committee of the General Assembly; (7) conduct research and evaluate programs within his office; (8) establish staff development, training and education programs designed to improve the quality of the division's services and programs; (9) coordinate the activities of the division with those of such other state, municipal, regional, federal and private agencies as are concerned with the administration of criminal justice; (10) be authorized to receive and administer funds from the federal government or any charitable foundation to assist in the operations of the division; (11) supervise, approve and issue all orders concerning all purchases of commodities, equipment and services for the Division of Criminal Justice; (12) supervise the administrative methods and systems employed in the Division of Criminal Justice; (13) submit to the Department of Administrative Services for its approval a compensation plan for all employees of the division, which plan may include sick leave, vacation leave, absences without pay, longevity payments, increments and all other matters regarding personnel policies and procedures; (14) establish with the approval of the Department of Administrative Services such job classifications as he deems necessary for the operation of the division; (15) audit bills to be paid from state appropriations for the expenses of the Division of Criminal Justice; (16) maintain adequate accounting and budgetary records for all appropriations by the state for the maintenance of the Division of Criminal Justice and all other appropriations assigned by the legislature or state budgetary control offices for administration by the Division of Criminal Justice; (17) serve as payroll officer for the Division of Criminal Justice; and (18) have such other powers and duties as are reasonably necessary to administer the division and implement the purposes of this chapter. He shall prepare and submit to the Office of Policy and Management estimates of appropriations necessary for the maintenance of the division and make recommendations with respect thereto for inclusion as a separate item in the budget request of the Division of Criminal Justice.

(b) The appropriation to the Division of Criminal Justice shall contain a separate budgetary allocation to the Division of Criminal Justice divided into the following parts: Personal services, other expenses and equipment. Expenses of or incurred by the division, including rental of facilities where not otherwise provided by the Commissioner of Administrative Services, and expenses of investigation and prosecution, including payment of witness fees of policemen and expenses of other witnesses summoned by the prosecution, costs of transcripts ordered from court reporters, costs of service of process and costs of extradition shall be paid from the budget of the division. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 4-87, or any other statute, no moneys appropriated for the maintenance and operation of the division may be transferred for use for any other purpose of the Division of Criminal Justice.

(P.A. 73-122, S. 5, 27; P.A. 74-183, S. 50, 291; P.A. 76-111, S. 8; 76-436, S. 568, 681; P.A. 77-614, S. 73, 610; P.A. 81-283, S. 2, 3; P.A. 82-248, S. 138; P.A. 84-406, S. 7, 13; P.A. 87-496, S. 106, 110; P.A. 89-345, S. 4; P.A. 94-164, S. 5, 8; P.A. 04-124, S. 1; P.A. 11-51, S. 44.)

History: P.A. 74-183 replaced circuit court with court of common pleas, reflecting transfer of circuit court functions to common pleas court, effective December 31, 1974; P.A. 76-111 substituted chief inspectors and inspectors for detectives in Subdiv. (1); P.A. 76-436 removed court of common pleas from purview of section, reflecting transfer of its functions to superior court, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-614 replaced public works commissioner with commissioner of administrative services in provision re rental of facilities; P.A. 81-283 added provisions requiring chief state's attorney to administer federal funds, issue all orders re purchases of commodities, equipment and services, audit bills to be paid from state appropriations, maintain adequate accounting and budgetary records and serve as payroll officer, and substituted the office of the chief court administrator for the executive secretary for submission of estimates of necessary appropriations; P.A. 82-248 rephrased the section, replaced “executive secretary of the judicial department” or “executive secretary” with “office of the chief court administrator” and inserted Subsec. indicators; P.A. 84-406 amended Subsec. (a) by changing reference to compensation plan established “under section 51-12” to “by the department of administrative services” and providing that chief state's attorney provide the department of administrative services a compensation plan and job classifications for its approval, changing reference to data furnished to the “office of the chief court administrator” to “appropriate committee of the general assembly” and changing office to which budget request is submitted from chief court administrator to policy and management, amended Subsec. (b) to delete provision which had prohibited transfer of moneys appropriated for “other purposes” of judicial department for use by division and changed references to “judicial department” to “division of criminal justice” throughout section, effective November 28, 1984, upon certification by secretary of state of vote on constitutional amendment re state's attorneys; P.A. 87-496 substituted “public works” for “administrative services” commissioner in Subsec. (b); P.A. 89-345 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision that chief state's attorney shall administer the division with the advice of the division of criminal justice advisory board, adding requirement that chief state's attorney establish an appellate unit, and deleted inspectors from list of personnel the chief state's attorney is authorized to select; P.A. 94-164 amended Subsec. (a) to require establishment of racketeering and continuing activities unit and bond forfeiture unit, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 04-124 amended Subsec. (b) to require that expenses of “investigation” and “expenses” of other witnesses summoned by the prosecution be paid from the division's budget; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Works” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Administrative Services” in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2011.

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