New Haven Independent

At the end of the long tour Thursday of the state’s Whalley Avenue jail Warden Robert Correa ushered everyone out because, he said, “It’s time to start the feeding.”

The lawmakers saw 849 inmates crammed into most of the common spaces at the jail — the gym, the cafeteria. They saw dorms where dozens of bunk beds fill the rooms. Inmates rushed up to try to talk to the visitors, then heard dinner announced.

Warden Correa said there’s no specific capacity for the jail, because the state must accept whomever the courts send their way. Correction officials also emphasized that overcrowding has been part of the picture for decades.

The union representing state correctional officers gave the tour to illustrate serious problems with overcrowding. Connecticut’s prison population has risen by 1,000 inmates since Gov. Jodi Rell canceled parole after the triple murders in Cheshire in July. Union leaders from AFSCME District 4, like Luke Leone, say both inmates and staff are at risk due to overcrowding.

“When you have inmates on the floor they have nowhere to lock up their personal property,” he said. “The inmates are fighting over the bathrooms — when you have one toilet and 50 inmates, you can see it when they come back from chow — it’s an immediate run for the bathroom and a lot of times we have fights.”

The man on the right in the photo above is State Rep. Mike Lawlor (East Haven). As co-chair of the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, he’s one of the most knowledgeable politicians in the state on criminal justice issues. His colleague, Robert Megna, represents New Haven’s East Shore. Asked what he thought after a tour of the jail, Megna seemed at a loss for words but kept coming back to the point that human beings probably need more space than they are currently allotted there.

Reporters were able to speak to inmates, although no cameras or recording devices were allowed past the front waiting area. Prisoners complained of unsanitary conditions, poor food, lack of recreation, and in many cases, lack of medical treatment. (Click here for an earlier story on jail conditions.)

Most of the inmates who spoke to this reporter did not want their names used, saying they feared retribution — a longer sentence, or denial of visits or a chance to buy personal items at the jail commissary.

One inmate, John Ziebell of New Haven, was willing to go on the record, although he also said he feared retribution and added, half-jokingly, that he wanted whistleblower protection. He said the heat had been turned on just a few days previous. He said none of the men were issued sweatshirts. Unless they received clothing from someone on the outside, they were issued just one set of clothing — pants, T shirt, overshirt, underwear and socks. That made laundering the items difficult, since there was nothing to wear in the meantime. Several of the men were wearing pants that were much too big, often stained and ripped.

Ziebell added that there was a problem with flies, and “black maggot larvae come out of the shower drain.” This was not apparent on the walk-through, which was no surprise, since, as New Haven State Rep. Bill Dyson noted in an earlier conversation about overcrowding at the jail, everyone had advance notice of the visit and would be “on their Ps and Qs.”

But hearing tales of dirty linens and dirty, ripped uniforms — and seeing them firsthand — heightened concerns about MRSA, the antibiotic-resistant strain of staph infection that is spread in crowded, unsanitary conditions, and can be fatal. Leone said it’s “running rampant” inside the jail. Click here to hear his comments, punctuated by the squeaking and slamming of security doors.

Representatives of the Department of Correction insisted the inmates’ needs are being met, despite the overcrowding. Deputy Commissioner Brian Murphy (pictured) welcomed the visitors in Warden Correa’s Yankee memorabilia-adorned office. After the visit, in response to a question about inmates complaining about lack of medical care, he said, “When inmates come in to us, they are screened medically for any issues they may have. We have hospital staff here, and we have a contract with UConn [Medical Center] if they desire that or need that type of service.” He said they just have to fill out a form requesting a visit to the medical unit.

The union said that statewide, the Department of Correction has 4,100 officers but needs 600 to 700 more. Larry Dorman, public affairs coordinator for AFSCME Council 4, said, “We have to be realistic. We know the legislature is not going to fund that number of positions.” But the union hopes that it will vote for a bill to reduce the ratio of prisoners to guards.

Mike Lawlor and his Judiciary Committeee co-chair, Andrew McDonald, have introduced a bill that would provide for construction of two new prison facilities in the state. He said he’d prefer to see non-violent offenders in community programs and not taking up expensive prison beds, but something must be done. “Our concern as legislators is, if in fact the population is going to stay where it is, which is about 1,000 more than it was in July, we’re going to need more facilities and more staff.” Click here to listen to his description of the alternative.

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