Connecticut Department of Correction


The Connecticut Department of Correction is the agency responsible for corrections in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The agency operates 18 correctional facilities. It has its headquarters in Wethersfield.

History

The correctional system in Connecticut began with the Old Newgate Prison in East Granby. It was an unprofitable copper mine that opened in 1705. The state began to use the tunnels as a prison during the Revolutionary War. In 1790 Old Newgate became the state prison for men and served in that capacity until 1827 when a new state prison was opened in Wethersfield.

Fallen officers

Prior to the establishment of the modern Connecticut Department of Correction in 1968, 5 officers died in the line of duty, all at the former state prison in Wethersfield.

Death row

Prior to the complete abolishment of capital punishment in 2015, the male death row was located at the Northern Correctional Institution. In 1995 the male death row moved from Osborn Correctional Institution to Northern. The execution chamber was located at Osborn. The York Correctional Institution houses all female pretrial and sentenced prisoners in the state, regardless of security status, so a woman classified as a death row inmate would be housed in that prison.