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Ombuds reports on lockdowns, heat, hunger strike and video release; advocates press for transparency
Summary
The state correctional ombuds described frequent facility lockdowns, visits to 14 institutions and plans for public reports on heat mitigation; advocates and committee members called for public release of footage in a 2018 in-custody death and broader transparency about living conditions.
Devon Ward, Connecticut’s correctional ombuds, told the advisory committee he has conducted 14 facility visits since June and is preparing several reports on prison conditions, including a heat-mitigation report he expects to release within weeks.
Ward said he has met twice with people at Cheshire Correctional Institution who are on a hunger strike and described their chief complaint as frequent lockdowns. "Their chief concern is the number of lockdowns, at Cheshire," Ward said, adding that early-July data showed Cheshire on modified or lockdown status for roughly five of seven days in one interval. He said similar lockdown-related complaints come from other facilities, including York and McDougall.
Ward said he is auditing compliance with the Protect Act’s out-of-cell requirements because he received reports that facilities sometimes do not provide…
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