© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

COVID-19 Cases Are On The Rise Inside Hartford Prison

prison gate
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public

Connecticut prison officials are monitoring a coronavirus outbreak in Hartford Correctional Center, where 56 incarcerated people tested positive but are not showing symptoms, according to Karen Martucci, spokeswoman for the Department of Correction.

Hartford Correctional Center is on lockdown for a deep cleaning after two staff members tested positive for coronavirus. Social visits are not allowed until further notice and testing will take place for the entire population. 
 
Dan Barrett, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, says the only real way to prevent a coronavirus outbreak inside prisons is to continue reducing the prison population.

“The most basic way to prevent people from being exposed to COVID in our prison system is to make sure releases are happening and that people are not being held in prison,” he said. 

The terms of a settlement reached in a recent lawsuit require the DOC to report COVID-19 testing results to ACLU lawyers and undertake several measures to control outbreaks. Barrett says the DOC is not living up to all of the terms.

“We have received a number of reports from across all 14 facilities that various provisions of the agreement are just not being honored,” said Barrett.

These provisions include ensuring that incarcerated people have access to sanitization essentials and that staff is equipped with masks.

According to the DOC website, over 1,600 COVID-19 cases have been reported across Connecticut’s 14 facilities, with 175 in Hartford.

Brenda León is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. 

Brenda León is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Brenda covers the Latino/a, Latinx community with an emphasis on wealth-based disparities in health, education and criminal justice.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content