Department of Correction

 

 

 At a Glance                                                                                                                                                         

 

JOHN J. ARMSTRONG, Commissioner

Peter Matos, Deputy Commissioner

Jack Tokarz, Deputy Commissioner

Theresa C. Lantz, Deputy Commissioner

Dennis C. Coyle, Deputy Commissioner

Established - 1968

Statutory authority - CGS Sec. 18-78

Central office - 24 Wolcott Hill Road,

                Wethersfield, CT 06109

Number of full-time employees - 7,027

Recurring operating expenses - $ 514,633,372

Capitol outlay - $ 6,254,913

Organizational structure - Operations Division, Programs & Staff Development Division, Support Services Division and Field Security & Operations Division                           

 

Mission

     The Department of Correction shall protect the public, protect staff, and ensure a secure, safe and humane environment for offenders in a climate that promotes professionalism, respect, integrity, dignity and excellence.

 

Statutory Responsibility

     The Department of Correction, by direction of the courts, confines and controls accused and sentenced inmates in correctional institutions, centers and units, and by statute administers medical, mental health, rehabilitative, and community based service programs.

 

Public Service

     The agency on June 30, 2002 confined 18,875 offenders, a 6.67 percent increase when compared with the incarcerated population on June 30, 2001.  Including those inmates on department-administered community supervision, correctional staff supervised a total population of 20,532 offenders at the end of fiscal year 2001-2002, a 7.67 percent increase.

 

Facility Operations Division

     Facility Operations consists of 18 correctional facilities, which are managed by six Lead Wardens and 13 Wardens.  There are 15 Correctional Institutions and three Correctional Centers which incarcerate approximately 18,779 inmates.  It is the Facility Operations mission to protect the public and staff while ensuring a secure, safe and humane environment for offenders.

 

 

Programs and Staff Development Division

     This division encompasses the roles of human resources, staff training and development, as well as offering a range of programs to offenders.  Through educational, substance abuse, health, mental health, recreation, religious and volunteer service programs, inmates gain opportunities for positive change and successful reintegration into the community following discharge.

     The division handles all human resources and professional development functions.

     Inmate programmatic functions administered by the division encompass addiction services counselors who promote recovery and counter relapse through the four levels of treatment.  Chaplains supply inmates with the opportunity to practice their beliefs, and community volunteers support the agency efforts in areas of addiction, educational and religious services. Unified School District #1 offers instruction ranging from high school equivalency and English as a second language to special education and technical and vocational trades.

     This division is also responsible to assess, classify and assign offender risk levels, evaluate and audit the department programs, and provides a comprehensive information service for victims of crimes.

 

 

Support Services Division

     This division encompasses essential support functions within the department's structure. The division develops and implements the budget and all fiscal functions in addition to overseeing engineering, construction and maintenance needs.  Correctional Enterprises of Connecticut offers offenders an opportunity for real-life work experience while producing and marketing items for state and non-profit institutions.

     The division also administers the management of information systems of the department and oversees the food service function.

 

 

Field and Security Operations Division

     This division encompasses a range of emergency operations: emergency response teams, special response squads, canine teams, hostage negotiators and weapons instructors.  It also includes five community enforcement units responsible for the supervision of inmates classified to release programs in the community.  The division maintains a medical-surgical ward at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, three inmate transportation units, and the department's honor guard and bagpipe and drum band.

     In addition, security staff provide essential intelligence functions, internal investigations, security audits, employee background checks and telephone monitoring.  Security staff work closely with the Attorney General, Chief State's Attorney's Office, Connecticut State Police, Statewide Gang Task Force and all local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.  The division also includes an external affairs unit, which acts as a legislative and legal liaison, a public information office, and standards and policy functions responsible for drafting departmental administrative directives.

 

 

Improvements/Achievements 2001-02

     Facility Operations Division. Fiscal Year 2001-2002 saw the York Correctional Institution become the first prison/jail in the country to have its medical unit accredited.  Major improvements and repairs were made to a number of facilities including roofs, windows, control centers, perimeter walls and fences, body alarms and inmate footlockers.  Inmate programming saw the expansion of available education via a federal grant and through in cell instruction which included the topics of fatherhood and victim impact.  Several facilities increased their community involvement with significant donations to charities and inmate labor provided to local communities.

     Programs and Staff Development Division. During fiscal year 2001-2002 the Department of Correction Unified School District #1 provided education services to more than 12,550 inmates, approximately 29 percent of the inmate population with 924 GED's awarded along with 568 vocational modules completed.  Religious services provided 90,000 hours of chaplain time, while volunteers donated more than 153,000 hours.  A Job Center was established at Brooklyn CI linking discharging inmates by computer directly with the Department of Labor.  A 70,500 inter-agency inmate moves were carried out to safely and effectively manage the population. The agency's training academy graduated 410 cadets and provided 400,000 hours of instruction.  Six labor contracts were also negotiated during the year.

     Support Services Division. The daily inmate expenditure for 2001-2002 was $74.09.  More than 55,000 inmate meals were provided on a daily basis.  Commissary sales to inmates generated an estimated $12 million.  Correctional Enterprises which provides inmates with realistic work experience employing 400 offenders on a daily basis, achieved a gross sales of $9.4 million.  Recycling of cardboard, cans, plates and glass totaled 1,600 tons, while 164 projects totaling more than $10.6 million were monitored to completion.  The agency's website was redesigned and improved to include most wanted inmates and a compendium of programming.  An inmate search function for the site is being developed.

     Field and Security Operation. Monitoring of inmate phone conversations this year resulted in a record of 189 cases involving outside law enforcement agencies.  More than 2,700 inmates were placed in Transitional Supervision while residential program beds were increased to 774.  More than 200 formal investigations were conducted with nearly 550 informal inquiries.   The Tactical Operations Unit took first and second place in the national CERT Challenge. More than 100,000 inmates were transported for various reasons, while 350 inpatients and 2,200 outpatients were seen at the agency's Medical-Surgical ward.  The Department's newsletter was improved and a new monthly video entitled PRIDE from the Top was developed to better inform staff of agency issues and achievements.

 

Information Reported as Required by State Statute

Affirmative Action Unit

     This unit developed and implemented the department's Affirmative Action Plan in conjunction with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, as well as the agency's Equal Employment Opportunity Plan with the United States Department of Justice for Civil Rights.  Both plans underscore the department's commitment to a diversified workforce and to equal opportunity.  Minority staff representation in fiscal year 2000-2001 stood at 31.1 percent, significantly above the average for state agencies workforce.  Female representation stood at 25.5 percent.  The unit continues its emphasis on training.  In addition, the unit is helping to coordinate state mandated diversity training.