Those formerly incarcerated in Connecticut, as well as advocates for prison reform, came out Thursday for a public hearing in response to a new watchdog report on state prison conditions.
The report, released last month by Correction Ombuds DeVaughn Ward, found “sustained institutional failure” across the state’s correctional facilities.
The correction ombuds role was reinstated via legislation in 2022. The office is meant to advocate for those incarcerated in Connecticut and provide oversight of the Department of Correction.
“This report tells us what is happening,” Ward said at the hearing. “The images show what it looks like, and the testimony tonight will tell us what it feels like. That is why your voice matters tonight more than mine.”
“No statistic or image can carry the weight of lived experience,” Ward said. “Tonight is not about defending institutions and statutory mandates. It is about bearing witness.”
Dozens of individuals gave remarks, some drawing on their own experience within the confines of Connecticut correctional facilities.
Timothy Townsend Jr. said while he was incarcerated, his complaints about some of the issues highlighted in the ombuds report made him a target for reprisal by prison staff.
“The question before us is not whether the conditions exist. The report answers that,” Townsend said. “The question is whether we will act, because order without humanity is not justice, control without care is not safety, and a system without accountability is not worth public trust.”
Alicia Strong spoke as a family member of those who have been incarcerated in Connecticut.
“What’s in the correction ombuds’ report did not surprise the people most impacted by it,” Strong said. “These conditions have been known. They’ve been reported. And for years, people inside have been punished for speaking the truth. I want to be clear: these are not isolated incidents. They are, in fact, systemic failures.”
Ward said the hearing was “one of what I hope to be many opportunities to share the lived experience of folks.”
“I have a lot of work to do, a lot of stuff to take in from tonight, and I just really appreciate everybody coming out tonight,” he said.
