Northern Correctional Institution

Northern Correctional Institution (NCI) is a high-security state prison in Somers,[2][3] in the northern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The prison houses the state's male convicts serving long sentences for violent crimes and it housed the death row for inmates before the abolition of the death penalty in Connecticut.

Northern Correctional Institution
LocationSomers, Connecticut
Coordinates42°1′24.87″N 72°30′23.66″WNorthern CI
StatusOpen
Security classLevel 5 (Maximum)
Capacity500
OpenedMarch, 1995
Managed byConnecticut Department of Correction
Director[1]

1995-1995 David May 1995-1996 Robert Kupec 1996-1999 Giovanny Gomez 1999-2003 Larry J. Myers 2003-2006 Wayne Choinski 2006-2009 Jeffrey McGill 2009-2011 Angel Quiros 2011-2014 Edward Maldonado 2014- 2016 Anne Cournoyer

2016- current. Geoffery Pelkey

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.

History

The Northern C.I. was completed in January 1995 and received its first inmates in March 1995.[4] Also in 1995, Connecticut's death row inmates were moved to the Northern C.I. from the Osborn Correctional Institution.[5]

In February 1997, the Chronic Disciplinary Unit arrived at Northern.

In November 1999, the Security Risk Group Threat population arrived.

In August 2000, Warden Larry J. Myers' 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, 2014, the prison has 258 inmates(178 Accused 80 Sentenced). The prison is controlled by 310 personnel from the Connecticut Department of Correction under the supervision of Warden Anne Cournoyer and Deputy Warden William Mulligan.[6]

Death row and "Old Sparky"

Connecticut legislated lethal injection as its sole method of execution in 1995.[7] The last person executed by lethal injection was Michael Bruce Ross on May 13, 2005.[8] The last person executed by electrocution was Joseph "Mad Dog" Taborsky in May 1960.[9] 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.[10] The death penalty was abolished in Connecticut in 2012.

Notable prisoners

As both of these men were on death row and the death penalty has been abolished, they are considered regular inmates. Due to the severity of their crimes, it was deemed unsafe to house them in the Connecticut DOC. Both have been moved to maximum security facilities in Pennsylvania.

References
  2. "Somers town, Connecticut Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on August 16, 2010.
  3. "Zoning Map." Somers, Connecticut. Retrieved on August 16, 2010.
  4. "Northern Correctional Institution." Connecticut Department of Correction. Retrieved on January 1, 2014.
  5. "Northern Correctional Institution." Connecticut Department of Correction. Retrieved on August 16, 2010.
  6. Connecticut Department of Corrections, Northern Correctional Institution Website
  7. http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/rpt/2005-R-0136.htm
  8. https://www.journalinquirer.com/archives/it-s-done-ross-saga-ends-with-gasp-shudder/article_93034296-dc0d-5e55-a9c1-48558ce5b679.html
  9. http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/10/18/news/doc4cbbd3b030403738863502.txt?viewmode=fullstory
  10. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/27/nyregion/execution-would-be-the-first-since-1960.html
  11. "HAYES,STEVEN JOSEPH." Connecticut Department of Correction. Retrieved on November 10, 2010.
  12. "KOMISARJEVSKY,JOSHUA A." Connecticut Department of Correction. Retrieved from Walker Reception Center on December 10, 2011.
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