A report released Tuesday by the Correction Ombuds DeVaughn Ward on the conditions of Connecticut’s state correctional facilities concluded that the system is “operating in a state of sustained institutional failure.”  The 2025 Conditions of Confinement report examined several aspects of prison life, from food service to technology to medical care. The report described unsanitary conditions — like rodents, black mold and sewage backups — as well as delays in necessary medical care and staffing shortages that regularly confined incarcerated people to their cells. Andrius Banevicius, spokesperson for the Department of Correction, said Commissioner Angel Quiros had sent Ward a letter saying the department “‘strongly objects to [the] grossly overstated and unsupported generalization,’ that the correctional system is operating in a state of ‘sustained institutional failure.’” Banevicius said the ombuds’ report included “a number of allegations which are unsupported in either fact or law and appear to serve only to foster an extremely negative perception of the agency.” Banevicius said that there is always “room for improvement” within the department. But he said, in certain cases, Ward had incorrectly portrayed singular incidents as problems that affected all the facilities. He also said that DOC had intentionally alerted Ward to many of the concerns in the report.   “Any implication that the DOC has disregarded any of the concerns raised is simply not true,” Banevicius said.  Food and living conditions Findings in the report were based, in part, on complaints the ombuds received from incarcerated people and their family members. In June, Ward received a complaint that mice were running through New Haven Correctional Center. At Hartford Correctional Center, rodents became so pervasive that the facility had to shut down the kitchen for three to four weeks over the summer, according to the report. In July, Ward heard from the relative of an incarcerated person that there were sewage backups at Bridgeport Correctional Center, “feces and urine throughout the facility[,] all over the floor.”  At York Correctional Institution, Ward heard there were only one or two showers available for 25 women, amid ongoing maintenance. He was also told of shortages in hygiene supplies, including toilet paper. According to one complaint, a memo was sent out telling residents they’d have to purchase their own toilet paper through the commissary. Ward also found black mold, a build-up of dust and debris on air vents and on surveillance cameras at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, and shower vents covered in grey mold at Hartford CC during tours of the facilities he took in 2024 and 2025.  High levels of heat in the summer have exacerbated these conditions, Ward said. A lunch tray at Osborn Correctional Institution. Credit: Courtesy of DeVaughn Ward Incarcerated women at York CI wrote to the ombuds in 2024 complaining about the quality of the food being served. One recounted receiving spoiled milk and moldy food and finding rodent droppings in the food. Another described the food as “barely edible,” often with freezer burn or “as hard as hockey pucks.”  “They recently stopped providing peanut butter with breakfast on Thursdays, which had been part of the regular menu for decades. Kitchen staff told us that peanut butter is ‘too expensive,’ which is hard to believe,” the person incarcerated at York said in their complaint, which was quoted in the ombuds’ report. “While incarcerated individuals are served whatever is put together, kitchen staff use the same state-provided food to prepare meals for themselves, including burgers and French fries — items that incarcerated individuals do not receive.”  Several other incarcerated individuals and their family members raised concerns that the diet in correctional facilities makes people more vulnerable to high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension. Ward said that while conducting inspections at the facilities, he saw “visibly unclean kitchen equipment and food preparation areas.” He recommended the department bring in professional contractors to address the mold, rodents and buildup on the vents, rather than relying on incarcerated men and women. Ward also suggested that the department’s food services coordinate with medical staff to make sure that people with medically-necessary diets were getting the food they need. Incarcerated people should also have more frequent showers, laundry and bedding changes during extreme heat, the report said. Black mold and condensation on a bathroom ceiling at Hartford Correctional Center. Credit: Courtesy of DeVaughn Ward Medical  Reports of failures to provide adequate medical care to people housed in state correctional facilities have made headlines, including a recent report from the state inspector general that found “significant medical errors” in the prescription of methadone and other prescribed drugs, which led to the death of two men in Garner Correctional Institution.  According to Tuesday’s ombuds’ report, Ward’s office has received more than 143 medical-related complaints since September 2024.  In one case, Ward received a complaint that a man housed at Carl Robinson Correctional Institution was having flu-like symptoms for a significant period of time, and later began experiencing rectal bleeding. Despite repeated requests, he was not seen by a medical professional. Another complaint recounted that a family member incarcerated at Osborn Correctional Institution had chest pain for four months and discovered “a palpable lump in the center of his chest.” Rather than send him for further testing, the complaint alleged, correctional staff gave him ibuprofen.  The family member of a person at York CI wrote that their loved one had tried to get medical attention for a recurring ear condition. By the time the individual was sent to UConn Health, the condition had progressed and required two surgeries.  Ward also received complaints from York CI about delays in receiving glasses and contact lenses. Osborn CI hasn’t had an optometrist at the facility for two years. One person at MacDougall-Walker waited nearly a year for a recommended colonoscopy. And at Corrigan Correctional Center, people with psychotic disorders were allegedly taken off their antipsychotic medications and prescribed new drugs, “resulting in periods of untreated psychosis.”  Ward did not offer recommendations directly related to medical care, but he noted that the department has no centralized system to keep track of how long incarcerated people have been waiting to see a doctor or a specialist, which he said “constrains both internal quality-improvement efforts and external oversight.”   Staff Lockdowns at facilities across Connecticut have been a near-constant source of complaints from incarcerated men and women. In July, frequent lockdowns became one of the top complaints from several men at Cheshire Correctional Institution who held a hunger strike in protest of conditions at the facility.  According to the ombuds’ report, between 2015 and 2024 the number of correction officers declined by roughly 11% to 3,500. During the same period, the number of incarcerated people in the state declined by 34%.  Lockdowns can lead to cancelled programming, recreation time, family visits — even showers. An advocate who wrote to Ward, as well as an incarcerated person, both noted that lockdowns often happened on holidays. Ward suggested that the department explore the possibility of bringing back retired correction officers to staff the prisons, allowing counselors and other non-correctional staff to take on more responsibilities, and creating plans to prioritize things like medical care and visits during lockdowns.  Ward also flagged reports from DOC staff and a complaint from an incarcerated person’s attorney that incarcerated men and women were being retaliated against for speaking with his office. “Officers have made statements such as ‘you threw us under the bus’ and ‘now you’re in for it,’” the attorney told Ward.  He also noted the presence of certain political symbols at the facilities, such as the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, which he recommended removing. He suggested that the department enforce stronger protections against retaliation and restrict the use of lockdowns outside of non-emergency situations.  Libraries and communications In October, Ward asked the Department of Correction to suspend its contract with the Inmate Legal Assistance Program, or ILAP, claiming it has done little to help people seeking to file court cases from prison. Ward said in Tuesday’s report that he’d received multiple complaints about the lack of law libraries and legal help at different facilities. York CI, the state’s only women’s facility, has no law library. A complaint from a family member whose loved one was incarcerated in the Walker portion of MacDougall-Walker, said their family member was unable to access the library in MacDougall.  Ward recommended that York, along with the four county facilities that do not have libraries, should install law libraries for the people being held there, and that the department allow incarcerated men and women to access more records on electronic tablets. He also noted that at Osborn CI, incarcerated men were not allowed to make copies of legal records, meaning they had to wait for staff to make the copies, which had led to delays. Requiring staff to copy or approve documents, Ward said, could “chill the filing of grievances or legal actions related to conditions of confinement.”  Ward said he’d also received complaints about incarcerated men and women having to wait long periods to access tablet devices, which “effectively deprive[s] incarcerated individuals of communication, information, and programming services.”  Even when tablets are available, they don’t always work. An incarcerated person at MacDougall-Walker told Ward in a complaint that Wi-Fi at the facility regularly went out for days at a time. One family member complained that the communications app frequently crashes, making it difficult for them to communicate with the incarcerated person. And they said the app’s customer service representatives were unhelpful. Incarcerated men and women also complained about cancelled video visits, sometimes at the last minute because of facility lockdowns. In addition to recommending suspension of the ILAP contract, Ward said the department should seek to partner with the state Division of Public Defender Services and other legal aid organizations to offer assistance to incarcerated individuals.  The Correction Advisory Committee will hold a public hearing on January 29 at 6 p.m., where the findings of the ombuds’ report will be discussed. ...read more read less