Under Gov. Dannel Malloy’s leadership, Connecticut has repealed the death penalty, closed prisons, decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, raised the age from 16 to 18 at which defendants are tried as adults for most crimes, streamlined the process for parole and pardons, and reduced penalties for non-violent drug crimes.
Commissioner Scott Semple
Posted inHealth
CT to pay former inmate $1.3M after claims of improper medical treatment
The state has agreed to pay $1.3 million to a former inmate, who claimed correctional staff delayed identifying and properly treating his skin cancer, despite his rapidly deteriorating condition while incarcerated.
Posted inHealth
Legislators grill UConn Health, DOC about inmate health care
Concerns about the medical care provided to inmates in Connecticut’s prisons emerged during a six-hour hearing Monday as family members of inmates testified about substandard care and the correction department’s former chief medical officer told lawmakers that requests for specialized treatment were routinely denied.
Posted inJustice
DOC commissioner sued twice in a week over prisoners’ health care
The commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Correction was sued twice this week, an indication of persistent concerns about the quality of medical care being provided to inmates. The most recent lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that a 19-year-old man died after he repeatedly asked for medical attention he never received. A second, a class action lawsuit, claims the department has refused to provide life-saving treatment to those incarcerated with hepatitis C.
Posted inJustice
Young inmates tell Malloy about a new way in an old prison
CHESHIRE — Isschar Howard was 20 the night he shot and killed two young men who challenged his right to sell drugs on a corner in New Haven. He’s a 37-year-old lifer now, recently trained as a mentor to young inmates. The governor of Connecticut dropped by his cell Monday, shook his hand and thanked him for his work.