Press Releases
09/08/2016
Gov. Malloy Announces Inmate Population Drops Below 15,000 for First Time in Two Decades
Decrease Comes as State Focuses on Second Chance Initiatives that are Reducing Inmates’ Chances of Reoffending and Helping them Lead Productive Lives
(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that as the state continues initiatives to better handle the inmate population and reduce the chances of recidivism, the statewide inmate population within the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) has dropped below 15,000 - the lowest level it has been since January 3, 1997, when it was 14,989.
"Connecticut is part of a nationwide trend in states both blue and red, with bipartisan support from Republicans and Democrats alike, to end the era of permanent punishment and focus on permanent reform, and these efforts are making our state a safer place. FBI statistics show that Connecticut is experiencing the lowest crime rate in 50 years," Governor Malloy said. "We need to break the cycle of crime and poverty that has damaged too many families, and to do this, we must ensure that these inmates are prepared with the tools to become successful, productive members of our society upon their release. These Second Chance reforms we've initiated are changing the lives of families and communities in a positive direction."
"These numbers are a clear indication that Governor Malloy's criminal justice reform efforts are improving public safety," DOC Commissioner Scott Semple said.
"The data is impressive, but it's the policies and the people who make them possible," Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Dora Schriro said. "State and local police, in partnership with the Judicial Department and the Department of Correction are making a measurable difference keeping Connecticut safe. We are all very proud to participate in these important initiatives."
In 2015, Governor Malloy enacted a series of Second Chance Society initiatives through executive actions and adopted statutory changes to continue the progress the state has been making in reducing the crime rate, as well as to ensure that nonviolent offenders are being reintegrated into society and are becoming productive members of Connecticut's economy. These included initiatives such as:
- Reducing the penalty for possession of drugs from a felony with a seven-year minimum sentence to a misdemeanor with a maximum one year in jail.
- Eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent, no victim drug possession offenses.
- Establishing an expedited parole process for nonviolent, no victim offenses.
- Establishing an expedited pardons process for nonviolent ex-offenders, where there is no victim objection.
- Opening the Cybulski Community Reintegration Center at the Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institution in Enfield, designed to concentrate appropriate programs and services to prisoners nearing the end of their sentences.
Upon approval of the Governor's 2015 Second Chance Society legislative package, the General Assembly's nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis predicted that the inmate population would shrink by 1,120 offenders. The drop in offenders from September 2015 to September 2016 exceeded their prediction and fell by 1,130 offenders.
Recent statistics show that crime in Connecticut is at a 50-year low, with violent crime in Connecticut dropping an estimated 7 percent in 2015. This is on top of the 9.7 percent decrease in 2014.
The reduction in the crime rate and resulting dropping in inmate population is also benefitting Connecticut's taxpayers. On average, the state spends about $168 each day to house an individual inmate in one of the state's correctional institutions. The inmate decline has allowed the DOC to completely close down three correctional facilities in recent years, in addition to sections of three others.
Full correctional facility closures include:
- The Webster Correctional Institution in Cheshire in January 2010 at a savings of $3.4 million a year;
- The Gates Correctional Institution in Niantic in June 2011 at a savings a $12.3 million per year; and
- The Bergin Correctional Institution in Storrs in August 2011 at a savings of $12 million per year.
Partial facility closures include:
- The Fairmont building at Bridgeport Correctional Center in July 2015 at a savings of $2.1 million per year;
- The Niantic Annex at York Correctional Institution in January 2016 at a savings of $7.6 million per year; and
- A section of Osborn Correctional Institution known as the "Qs" is in the process of closing and, once completed, has an anticipated savings of $2.2 million per year.
The DOC's all-time high inmate population was on February 1, 2008 when it reached 19,893.
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