Northern Correctional Institution
Encyclopedia
Northern Correctional Institution is a high-security state prison in Somers
, in the northern part of the U.S. state
of Connecticut
. The prison houses the state's male death row
inmates and convicts serving long sentences for violent crime
s.
It is the designated restrictive housing facility for the Connecticut Department of Correction
, managing those inmates who have demonstrated a serious inability to adjust to confinement. Particularly those that pose a threat to the safety and security of the community, staff, and other inmates.
The institution Group Safety Threat Member program was relocated from the Garner Correctional Institution in order to centralize restrictive housing functions. In response to this, and with a commensurate increase in the number of young offenders, the facility more than doubled the size of its educational staff in order to serve those inmates who fall under federal mandates and require special education.
In February 1997, the Chronic Disciplinary Unit arrived at Northern.
In November 1999, the Special Risk Group Threat population arrived.
In August 2000, Warden Larry J. Myers's face was slashed by inmate John Barletta, leaving him seriously injured. Barletta was serving 60 years for a 1992 drive-by shooting murder in Norwalk and life in prison without parole for the murder of his cellmate in 1999 at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, Connecticut
.
In November 2000, the Chronic Disciplinary Unit was removed from the facility.
In September 2004, the Chronic Disciplinary Unit was returned to the facility.
As of July 1, 2007, the prison has 453 inmates. The prison is controlled by 310 personnel from the Connecticut Department of Correction
under the supervision of Warden Jeffrey E. McGill and Deputy Wardens Terence Rose, Valerie Light and Neftali Rodriguez.
Current - Edward Maldonado
as its sole method of execution in 1995. The last person executed by electrocution was Joseph "Mad Dog" Taborsky in May, 1960. Connecticut's "Old Sparky" has not been tested since it was moved from Wethersfield to the {Somers State Prison 1962-1994} {Osborn Correctional Institution 1994- present]] in Somers
in 1962, and prison officials claim the prison's electrical system cannot handle it.
Somers, Connecticut
Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, USA. The population was 10,417 at the 2000 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
, in the northern part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. The prison houses the state's male death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
inmates and convicts serving long sentences for violent crime
Violent crime
A violent crime or crime of violence is a crime in which the offender uses or threatens to use violent force upon the victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objective, such as murder, as well as crimes in which violence is the means to an end, such as robbery. Violent...
s.
It is the designated restrictive housing facility for the Connecticut Department of Correction
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 institutions. It has its headquarters in Wethersfield.-History:...
, managing those inmates who have demonstrated a serious inability to adjust to confinement. Particularly those that pose a threat to the safety and security of the community, staff, and other inmates.
The institution Group Safety Threat Member program was relocated from the Garner Correctional Institution in order to centralize restrictive housing functions. In response to this, and with a commensurate increase in the number of young offenders, the facility more than doubled the size of its educational staff in order to serve those inmates who fall under federal mandates and require special education.
History
The Northern C.I. was completed in January 1995 and received its first inmates in March 1995. Also in 1995, Connecticut's death row inmates were moved to the Northern C.I. from the Osborn Correctional Institution.In February 1997, the Chronic Disciplinary Unit arrived at Northern.
In November 1999, the Special Risk Group Threat population arrived.
In August 2000, Warden Larry J. Myers's face was slashed by inmate John Barletta, leaving him seriously injured. Barletta was serving 60 years for a 1992 drive-by shooting murder in Norwalk and life in prison without parole for the murder of his cellmate in 1999 at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, Connecticut
Newtown, Connecticut
Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 27,560 at the 2010 census. Newtown was founded in 1705 and incorporated in 1711.-Government:...
.
In November 2000, the Chronic Disciplinary Unit was removed from the facility.
In September 2004, the Chronic Disciplinary Unit was returned to the facility.
As of July 1, 2007, the prison has 453 inmates. The prison is controlled by 310 personnel from the Connecticut Department of Correction
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 institutions. It has its headquarters in Wethersfield.-History:...
under the supervision of Warden Jeffrey E. McGill and Deputy Wardens Terence Rose, Valerie Light and Neftali Rodriguez.
List of past wardens
- 1995-1995 David May
- 1995-1996 Robert Kupec
- 1996-1999 Giovanny Gomez
- 1999-2003 Larry J. Myers
- 2003-2006 Wayne Choinski
- 2007-2009 Jeffrey E. McGill
- 2009-2011 Angel Quiros
Current - Edward Maldonado
Death row and "Old Sparky"
Connecticut legislated lethal injectionLethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
as its sole method of execution in 1995. The last person executed by electrocution was Joseph "Mad Dog" Taborsky in May, 1960. Connecticut's "Old Sparky" has not been tested since it was moved from Wethersfield to the {Somers State Prison 1962-1994} {Osborn Correctional Institution 1994- present]] in Somers
Somers, Connecticut
Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, USA. The population was 10,417 at the 2000 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
in 1962, and prison officials claim the prison's electrical system cannot handle it.
Notable prisoners
- Steven Joseph Hayes, perpetrator of the Cheshire, Connecticut, home invasion murders
External links
- Northern Correctional Institution (Connecticut Department of Correction)