This State is Changing The Narrative About Incarceration, But Is It Enough?

When Connecticut cut its incarcerated population by 50% and closed over ten prisons, violent crime decreased by 43% over a decade. This contradicts the idea that prisons keep us safe. But there’s more to this story.

One controversial prison unit pairs younger incarcerated men with older incarcerated mentors so they can learn conflict resolution and life skills. 

And though this rehabilitation program broke barriers, what can the future look like with more? What if marginalized people received the resources they needed first, instead of being incarcerated due to a lack of those resources?

Anti-Blackness is essential to the criminal legal system, which is intertwined with other anti-Black systems. And Connecticut’s systems are no different.

Though the prison population has decreased overall, 42% of Connecticut’s incarcerated population is Black, despite representing only 12.9% of Black residents. Those residents are 9.4x as likely to be incarcerated than whites. 

And while anti-Black zoning, education, and discrimination persist, it’s no wonder that statistic nearly doubles the national average.

It’s true that Connecticut’s prison reform has improved some lives. But it’s also reinforced the prison system, which has dangerous consequences for our people.

We deserve a better model for our future. One that provides our communities with resources, effective violence prevention, and successful decarceration that prioritizes anti-Black bias.