HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ Connecticut officials will hear public comment on whether the state should offer parole earlier to juvenile offenders and make it easier for convicts to get jobs and housing.

The state Sentencing Commission will hold a public hearing at noon Thursday at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. It intends to recommend the proposals to lawmakers.

Officials say they have to change state law on parole for people imprisoned for serious crimes they committed when they were under 18, because of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that say juveniles shouldn’t be punished as harshly as adults. Current state law makes juvenile offenders ineligible for parole in some cases.

Another proposal calls for issuing special certificates to nonviolent convicts that prospective employers and landlords would have to consider when deciding on convicts’ applications.

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