Contributed Photo
A teen in the Manson Youth Institution Zooms with Rep. Toni Walker.
Two New Haven state legislators went online to kick off a new state prison policy aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19.
The Connecticut Department of Corrections suspended visits from friends and family during the pandemic, which has already taken a toll on prison staff and employees. In response to worries from inmates’ loved ones, the state began to allow virtual visits to juvenile offenders this month, the department announced in a press release on Thursday.
State Reps. Robyn Porter and Toni Walker conducted the first of these Zoom-based visits on May 1. They called three young men at the Manson Youth Institution, two of whom they had met on a previous visit. Walker said that those two were happy to see the representatives again.
“They’re adorable — they’d just got haircuts. You couldn’t help but want to hug them. When we were there we were able to hug them, but this was better than nothing,” Walker said.
Walker said that she asked about how their studies and families were doing. She did not want to ask much about the conditions during the pandemic, both because the teens were supervised during the call and because she did not want to give them additional stress.
“I did not want to restart their fears or anxieties of ‘Is it going to get me? I’m here by myself,’” Walker said. “Hope is the main thing that you provide, and expectations of success when they come back out.”
Markeshia Ricks Photo
Toni Walker at the state capitol.
Walker said that this social connection helps youths remember to focus on their studies and remember that they will have support when they leave the criminal justice system. She said that this is an argument for giving them as much time to talk with their families as possible.
So far, the state is only allowing young men and women at the Manson Youth and York Correctional Institutions to Zoom with authorized visitors for 30 minutes a week. The visits can happen Monday through Friday and are free to the inmates.
“We’re talking about teenagers. Do you think 30 minutes is enough for a teenager? Let’s be real. One of the things they love is the phone,” Walker said.
The Department of Corrections plans to eventually expand beyond these two facilities, according to the Thursday press release.
Did she call the inmate "adorable" ?
I wonder if she would think he was so "adorable" if he beat up, robbed, murdered, raped or victimized her or one of her loved ones. I can't be the only one who is shocked by her choice of words. Am I living in bizarro world? What the hell is going on in Connecticut?