Department of Correction

The Connecticut Department of Correction has released results of its COVID-19 mass testing efforts, revealing a positive test percentage of 9%. In May the DOC began testing as many of its prisoners and staff. Out of the 9,504 prisoners tested across the system, 832 were positive. Officials said all but two tested as part of the mass testing effort were…

Governor Ned Lamont announced that Department of Correction Commissioner Rollin Cook will be leaving his position with the State of Connecticut. Cook joined Lamont’s administration when he took office in Jan. 2019. Before that, Cook served as executive director of the Department of Corrections in Utah. Cook said that his decision to leave the agency was based solely for personal…

“What they’re doing is ridiculous, illogical, and arbitrary.” Inmate Michael Liebowitz leveled that criticism toward the Connecticut Department of Correction’s response to the novel coronavirus. He called NBC Connecticut Investigates after watching our series of stories on an exclusive survey of 300 plus correction officers on how the DOC has handled the pandemic. So far seven inmates have died...

Inmate Michael Liebowitz reached out after our NBC CT Investigates stories on how the Connecticut Department of Correction has handled the coronavirus outbreak

A settlement was reached in a federal lawsuit between the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut and the state which would take measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in prisons. Two lawsuits were filed since the emergence of coronavirus: one federal and one state. If approved, the settlement reached on Sunday in the federal McPherson v. Lamont case will…

A 60-year-old male is the seventh inmate to pass away from COVID-19 related complications under the supervision of the Connecticut Department of Correction.  “The deceased individual was transferred from the Osborn Correctional Institution to the UConn Health Center for treatment on April 30, 2020,” said a DOC spokesperson. “He succumbed to his illness on Tuesday.” He last entered the Connecticut correctional…

More than 300 corrections officers answered our exclusive survey about their concerns over coronavirus and its risks.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on the state prison system. In one facility so far, a third of the inmates tested positive for coronavirus, but were asymptomatic, as the Department of Correction starts widespread testing.  At least 369 staff members, agency-wide, have also tested positive.  The agency said more than 300 of those have returned to work. NBC…

NBC Connecticut Investigates is sharing some results from an exclusive survey.

A 74-year-old man in the Connecticut Department of Correction system has died from complications due to the coronavirus, officials said Tuesday. Officials said the man was a prisoner at Osborn Correctional Institution. He was taken to a hospital for treatment on April 23, and died Tuesday. The man was serving a 13-year sentence for first-degree sexual assault with a victim…

Two Department of Correction prisoners died Monday due to complications from COVID-19, the department confirmed. These mark the fourth and fifth deaths of prisoners in the state system. The first was a 60-year-old man who was receiving treatment at UConn Health Center after testing positive for the virus, officials said. He was taken to the hospital on April 20 and…

Calls have continued for the Connecticut Department of Correction to release lower-risk inmates early because of the threat posed by coronavirus.   On April 12 the agency announced its first inmate death connected to the pandemic. DOC data has shown an exponential increase in confirmed coronavirus cases inside Connecticut prisons. !function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var e in a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-“+e)||document.querySelector(“iframe[src*=’”+e+”‘]”);t&&(t.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][e]+”px”)}})}(); It’s one...

Prisoner advocates are raising concerns over the state’s corrections systems preparedness to handle the pandemic.

Forty-five inmates who were being housed at the Northern Correctional Institution have been medically cleared to leave isolation, the Department of Correction announced Tuesday. Four staff members who were diagnosed with COVID-19 have also been cleared to return to work. DOC officials said the 45 offenders were in the medical isolation unit during their recovery and that healthcare staff monitored…

For the first time in the 19 years that Steven Wales has been a correction officer at Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center, he says he is afraid to go home to his family. “My biggest fear is giving it to them,” said Wales, of his two young children. “They did not sign up for this.” Since March 26, 19 inmates and 10…

Inmates who test positive for the coronavirus will be transferred to Northern Correctional Institution.

Five Department of Correction inmates have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in Enfield.  Officials say all five individuals at the Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institution have been isolated and are receiving medical care from the Agency’s Healthcare staff. The entire facility has been placed on lock down in order to limit the spread of the virus. “As in the community...

A third Department of Correction employee has tested positive for the coronavirus, agency officials confirmed Friday. The employee, who works as custody staff at Hartford Correctional Center, last entered the building. DOC officials said the employee was assigned a hospital detail at Manchester Memorial Hospital on Monday, March 23 and worked second and third shifts. During the third shift on…

A Department of Correction employee who works at the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials confirmed Monday. DOC said the employee has been self-monitoring at home since Wednesday, March 18 and last entered Garner on Tuesday, March 17. Effective Monday, anyone entering a DOC facility will be screened, including a temperature check. Anyone with…

A resident of a Department of Correction contracted halfway house in New Haven who was admitted to Yale New Haven Hospital Wednesday with flu-like symptoms has tested negative for coronavirus. DOC officials said the staff and other residents who were told to stay at the building while awaiting test results, can return to normal. There are 59 offenders housed at…