© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-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

CT mandated police body cameras. Now, correction officers in prisons might wear them, too

FILE: An AXON body camera worn by an Arizona State Trooper on February 23, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon
/
AFP via Getty Images
FILE: An AXON body camera worn by an Arizona State Trooper on February 23, 2025.

The Connecticut Department of Correction has been tasked with developing a plan to implement the use of body-worn cameras for its corrections officers.

Under a bill signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont, the department has until February 1, 2026, to present a plan for implementation to the General Assembly.

According to Connecticut Correction Ombudsman DeVaughn Ward, whose office serves as a watchdog over the Department of Correction and who testified in favor of the measure, the move toward more cameras in prisons is urgent.

“I think for folks who are incarcerated, being able to have recorded interactions with staff adds a certain level of security, a certain level of transparency,” Ward said.

Ward said the cameras could deter misconduct.

“Over the past five years, the Department of Correction has settled a tremendous amount of litigation related to its medical care, but also its use of force,” Ward said. “I’m hoping that this significant investment in transparency will at least stem the tide of some of that litigation.”

Ward said the only video currently recorded in correctional facilities comes from fixed cameras that don’t gather sound. He said the addition of body-worn cameras would benefit both the incarcerated and facility staff.

“The body cameras can be useful not just to the incarcerated population, but also to staff,” Ward said. “When staff is accused of not following procedure or protocol, when there are instances where folks allege that certain conduct may have taken place, the body cameras are, I think, a heightened level of transparency.”

Correction union weighs in

Rudy Demiraj is a service representative for AFSCME Council 4, which represents roughly 4,000 correctional staff.

Demiraj said the union is not opposed to the body camera proposal, but questioned whether or not it’s the best use of state dollars.

“Those resources would probably be far better spent addressing the critical staffing shortage by hiring more correction officers, or investing in tools or technology that can actually curb the flow of drugs into the prisons – we're dealing with a big epidemic,” Demiraj said.

Demiraj said there already exists an “abundance of stationary cameras” inside correctional facilities, “and the reason for that is, we want to ensure transparency, accountability.”

“There probably isn't any other type of buildings in the state of Connecticut that are more surveilled than correctional facilities,” he said. “So the union's position is spending money on surveillance systems that really offer no meaningful improvement over what's already in place is simply just not a wise or effective use of dollars being allocated to the Department of Correction.”

Next steps

The department’s plan is required to include a price tag for implementing a body-worn camera program and a timeline for implementation, should the Assembly provide such funding.

Ward said a mandate for body-worn cameras would likely be phased in.

“There have been calls to maybe do pilot programs in two facilities that have very vulnerable populations, our women's facility and our youth facility,” Ward said. “This is not something that is going to happen for all 13 facilities overnight.”

“I think that it may take a couple years to get across the finish line,” he said.

In New England, states including New Hampshire and Massachusetts have passed similar laws pertaining to the use of body-worn cameras by correction staff, Ward said.

Chris Polansky joined Connecticut Public in March 2023 as a general assignment and breaking news reporter based in Hartford. Previously, he’s worked at Utah Public Radio in Logan, Utah, as a general assignment reporter; Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem, Pa., as an anchor and producer for All Things Considered; and at Public Radio Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla., where he both reported and hosted Morning Edition.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content
Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.