Connecticut
ACLU of Connecticut calls for video release in prisoner wrongful death lawsuit
The ACLU of CT urged the Appellate Court to release the video of J’Allen Jones’ death during a hearing on Thursday morning. Jones died in 2018 when he was forcefully restrained by correctional officers.
Maia Nehme
Staff Reporter
Maia Nehme, Contributing Photographer
On March 25, 2018, J’Allen Jones died after he was forcefully restrained by multiple correctional officers at Garner Correctional Institution. Six and a half years later, attorneys at the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut are fighting to get the video of Jones’ death released to the public.
Shortly after Jones’ death, his family filed a lawsuit against correctional officers and a nurse who were in Jones’ vicinity when he became unresponsive. The defendants submitted the video footage to the court in March of this year, as part of an attempt to prevent the case from going to trial. Jones’ family then requested the video’s release to the public this month — a condition the defendants did not explicitly prohibit.
The ACLU of CT, which is not involved in the lawsuit, also requested the video’s release but was denied by the Superior Court, which said that the video was sealed. In response, the ACLU of CT filed a petition for the video’s release with the Appellate Court on Oct. 7.
“As the sole evidence of what happened to Mr. Jones at the hands of the Department of Correction, and as a court filing that has never been sealed, the public should have access to the video as guaranteed by state law and the First Amendment,” ACLU of Connecticut Legal Director Dan Barrett said in a press release. “It is imperative the people know what is being done in our names behind prison walls.”
During a hearing on Thursday, Barrett and Assistant Attorney General Terrence O’Neill — who represents the defendants in the lawsuit — each had ten minutes to state their case to the Appellate Court. Barrett and O’Neill also fielded frequent questions from Appellate Court Judges Nina Elgo, Robert Clark and Dawne Westbrook.
Barrett emphasized the distinction between a protective order, which was placed on the video, and a sealing order. Though protective orders are used to manage the dissemination of sensitive legal documents, they do not prohibit all public access to those documents.
O’Neill argued that the question of whether to seal the video should be returned to the Superior Court. He also expressed confusion about how the Superior Court had secured a CD of the video, stating that he and his fellow attorneys had collected both CD copies they brought to court.
“With respect, we have no idea how it got there, Your Honor,” O’Neill said. “We don’t know where this third disc came from.”
The judges then adjourned the court, setting the next session for Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Requests for video release reignite community backlash to Jones’ death
The calls from the ACLU of CT and Jones’ family to release the video have sparked more community awareness of and outrage over Jones’ death.
On the day he died, Jones – who was diagnosed with schizophrenia – was slated for a transfer to the prison’s psychiatric ward for treatment. Garner Correctional Institution is the DOC’s designated mental health facility.
After Jones refused to comply with a strip search, multiple correctional officers pepper-sprayed him in the face, punched him and forced him onto a bed over a nearly half-hour period. The correctional officers and a nearby nurse did not administer CPR or call 9-1-1 for seven minutes after Jones fell unconscious.
The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner classified Jones’ death as a homicide.
Ashley McCarthy, the DOC’s director of external affairs, declined the News’ request for comment on Jones’ family’s lawsuit, noting that the DOC does not comment on matters of active litigation.
On Oct. 18, more than 20 people rallied outside the DOC’s headquarters in Wethersfield, Connecticut to call for the video’s release and a more transparent criminal justice system.
Stop Solitary CT, a group that advocates for improved conditions and the elimination of solitary confinement in prisons, organized the “Justice for J’Allen” protest. Other attendees included members of Black Lives Matter 860 and the New Britain Racial Justice Coalition, as well as state Rep. Anne Hughes.
Barbara Fair, a community organizer with Stop Solitary CT, later told the News that Jones’ death underscores the importance of halting prison strip searches.
“They serve no purpose but to demean, degrade and dehumanize human beings just because [DOC staff] have the power to do it,” Fair said.
The DOC’s strip search policy states that these searches are always required in certain situations, such as when a person is first admitted to a prison. Staff can also conduct strip searches if they have “reasonable suspicion” that an incarcerated person is hiding contraband like drugs or weapons.
“We are focused on the health and well-being of everyone in our facilities,” McCarthy wrote to the News when asked about the DOC’s use of strip searches.
McCarthy also noted the DOC submitted a proposal earlier this year to the state legislature for the use of body scanners in prisons, which would reduce the need for strip searches. If funding for body scanners was made available to the DOC, she said, the agency would install the scanners throughout its prisons.
The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial on Feb. 20, 2025.
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You might have seen Connecticut’s state flag in government buildings and schools and wondered what the meaning was behind its design.
Adopted by the General Assembly in 1897, the Flag of Connecticut features a navy blue background with a white shield. Three grapevines with purple grapes are on the shield and oak leaves and acorns can be found on the shield’s edge.
Below the shield is a banner which features the phrase “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” written in Latin. According to ConnecticutHistory.org, that phrase translates to “He who transplanted still sustains,” which honors the colonists who moved to the state from England.
Per Encyclopedia Britannica, the three grapevines have two competing interpretations: they represent either the three oldest settlements in the state (Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor) or the three colonies that merged to form Connecticut (Connecticut Colony, Saybrook Colony and New Haven Colony).
Why is the Connecticut flag blue?
According to ConnecticutHistory.org, the blue comes from Connecticut’s Civil War military flags. During the Civil War, Connecticut regiments had flags featuring blue backgrounds. ConnecticutHistory.org reports that when the legislature adopted an official flag in 1897, they kept the color that military tradition had already established.
Origins of Connecticut’s state flag
Per ConnecticutHistory.org, Connecticut did not have an official state flag until 1897. The site reports that in 1895, the Anna Warner Bailey Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Groton pushed for an official flag to display in their new meeting room.
Governor Owen Vincent Coffin introduced a bill on May 29, 1895, which ConnecticutHistory.org says caused the legislature to subsequently form a committee. After several designs were submitted, the Connecticut General Assembly adopted the flag in 1897.
Connecticut’s coat of arms, which includes the shield, grapevines and banner featured on the state flag, was not formally standardized until 1931, according to USASymbol.com. The website also says color standards for the flag came in 1956, when the Secretary of the State’s office developed uniform specifications.
A hit HBO documentary series is looking to Connecticut for stories to feature in its second season.
The show “Neighbors” follows on-going neighbor disputes across the country. The goal of the show is to help neighbors reach a resolution, according to the show’s casting director and executive producer Harleigh Shaw.
“Each story we explore, we spend extensive time with neighbors on both sides to really understand the full context beyond the disputes,” Shaw said.
Producers wanted to share stories in the second season that were based in states that weren’t featured earlier this year in the first season, including Connecticut, Shaw said.
“A lot of the things that we’re most interested in are things that may seem small, but become a bigger issue between the neighbors,” Shaw said. “Anything from disagreements over gardening practices to property lines to noise to dock issues, if it’s a waterfront property. A whole myriad of things. We’re really open to anything.”
However, the show does avoid situations that are violent or dangerous.
Residents from Connecticut looking to participate should be open to third party conflict resolution, according to Shaw.
“Some of the ways that we did that were through mediation,” Shaw said. “That’s a huge one. But there are other things in terms of resources we’d be open to help the neighbors to like help work through the issues.”
Filming will take place throughout the summer and is expected to be completed by the end of September.
The show’s production team is located in New York City and Los Angeles.
“Connecticut has always been really interesting because it’s just a short trip away, and we’re just curious to explore the types of neighbor dynamics that are going on there,” Shaw said.
Connecticut residents who are interested in being on “Neighbors,” can apply at helloneighbortv.com and are encouraged to submit information about themselves as well as their neighbor dispute.
“The neighbor disputes are the entry point for this show, but we’re always also just very interested in inspiring amazing people doing cool stuff,” Shaw said.
“Neighbors” premiered in February and was quickly renewed. The show averages about 3 million viewers per episode.
The show features stories that make viewers laugh and cringe, according to HBO Programming’s Executive Vice President Nina Rosenstein.
“At a time when even the smallest disagreements can spiral out of control, ‘Neighbors’ feels both hilariously absurd and surprisingly relatable,” Rosenstein said. “What makes the show special isn’t just the stories and people they find, but the empathy and humanity they bring to each episode.”
DANBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Danbury drivers can expect hours-long closures on Sugar Hollow Road early Monday morning after a “serious” crash, according to local police.
Police said the morning crash has caused closures in both directions at the Ridgefield Line (Bennetts Farm Road) and at Miry Brook Road.
The road is expected to close for approximately three to four hours, police said.
Drivers are asked to seek alternate routes, including George Washington Highway and Route 53.
There are no words on injuries.
Additional information was not immediately available.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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