Commissioner's Welcome Message
Welcome to the Connecticut Department of Correction website.
Our Department has roots that date back to before 1773. The first state prison in America was the Old Newgate prison in Granby, Connecticut where British Tories were held during the Revolutionary War.
In 1968 all of the county jails and state prisons in Connecticut were unified under one state department of corrections. This was and still is a unique system that creates uniform standards across pretrial and sentenced populations. Substantial cost savings have been achieved over time through economies of scale. The unification made it possible for the department to create a central staff training academy and develop innovative inmate programming.
Through the next 30 years the Department needed to respond to an almost tripling of the inmate population. The front line staff responded developing into a highly professional cadre of Officers, Counselors, Tradesmen, and Supervisors second to none. Our facilities are operated with the highest of correctional standards. Safety and security are the back bone. It is our core belief that no meaningful work can be done in facilities that are not safe. Insuring order and safety provides the climate for good correctional practices.
The Department's responsibility now extends to the reentry of offenders, supervising their return to the community. Studies have demonstrated that this type of supervision reduces future criminal behavior lowering recidivism rates and ultimately enhancing public safety.
While our primary mission is to provide safety to the community, our staff and inmates, the Department also provides special assistance to Homeland Security, the State Police, the Department of Transportation and other state departments during emergencies and times of statewide need.
The Connecticut Department of Correction is made up of over 5,836 men and women dedicated to providing public safety to the citizens of the State of Connecticut. It is an honor to represent this Department.