ACLU office in Washington, D.C. ACLU office in Washington, D.C. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

The four finalists in the running to become Connecticut's top prosecutor aren't saying much publicly during the job interview process.

But their answers to a 17-question survey from the ACLU of Connecticut's Smart Justice Campaign provide some insight into how they might run the office, if they rise to chief state's attorney.

Click on the finalists' names below to read their full survey answers:

The think tank's questions elicit "yes" or "no" responses, but many also start with a premise that a positive response serves "fairness and transparency," an interview tactic that appeared designed to elicit certain answers for the record.

One question, for instance, asked: "Will you commit to fairness and accountability by supporting legislation creating an independent conviction integrity unit to review and investigate innocence claims presented by people convicted of violent offenses? Please give a clear 'Yes' or 'No' to the question and any explanation."

Richard Colangelo Jr. Richard Colangelo Jr.

Finalist Richard Colangelo Jr., who's been the state's attorney for the Judicial District of Stamford/Norwalk since July 2015, noted the disparate issues.

"No," he answered. "While I commit to fairness and accountability, I do not believe legislation is (needed) to accomplish a conviction integrity unit. If I am the CSA, I plan on having a conviction integrity unit."

Colangelo is vying for the job, along with Kevin Lawlor, deputy chief state's attorney for operations; Erik Lohr, associate attorney general for legal counsel in the Office of the Attorney General; and Maureen Platt, state's attorney for the Judicial District of Waterbury. They are finalists to replace former Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane, who stepped down Dec. 1.

Connecticut's Criminal Justice Commission is expected to choose Kane's replacement by Jan. 30.

Erik Lohr Erik Lohr

The attorneys answered the survey from the ACLU's 20-month-old Smart Justice Campaign.

The group's mission includes a goal to "cut Connecticut's jail and prison population by 50 percent, and to end racial disparities in our state's justice system."

Claudine Fox, Smart Justice Campaign's campaign manager, conceded the ACLU has a point of view on the questions asked, and was looking for support from the four job candidates.

Fox said she was pleased all four finalists supported Public Act 19-59, which deals with prosecutor transparency.

Maureen Platt/AP Maureen Platt/AP

"The bill is important because it allows us to create a landscape on who is consistently being charged within our prison system," Fox said. "It creates a standard of racial justice and allows all of the 13 state's attorney judicial districts to, together, examine that data coming in."

But the ACLU wasn't happy with some of the responses about its question on closing the Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire.

"We are disappointed, particularly with the federal DOJ [Department of Justice] report examining living situations and how the facility is being run," Fox said. "It appears some of the juveniles in the facility are not receiving appropriate contact, and are being left inside cells for multiple hours."

Colangelo, Lawlor and Platt provided, in many cases, detailed explanations of their answers, while Lohr gave "yes" or "no" responses for the most part.

For instance, Colangelo said he didn't believe reducing the length of state's attorneys terms from eight years to four years was a prudent idea. When asked whether he supported capping all prison sentences to 20 years, he said that was in the purview of the state Legislature.

Kevin Lawlor Kevin Lawlor

Meanwhile, Lawlor said he would be in favor of—and had already drafted a proposed policy—to support legislation creating an independent conviction integrity unit to review and investigate innocence claims presented on behalf of individuals convicted of violent crimes.

And Platt, for instance, said she did not favor capping prison sentences at 20 years, but that "long-term incarceration should always be imposed as a last resort."

For his part, Lohr said he would support legislation to change the state's use-of-force standard to ensure that police killings were only considered justified in cases that officers, through their own actions, did not create a situation in which deadly force was necessary.

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Who Will Replace Connecticut's Top Prosecutor? Here's the Short List