The Connecticut Department of Correction has been tasked with developing a plan to implement the use of body-worn cameras for its corrections officers.
Under a bill signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont, the department has until February 1, 2026, to present a plan for implementation to the General Assembly.
According to Connecticut Correction Ombudsman DeVaughn Ward, whose office serves as a watchdog over the Department of Correction and who testified in favor of the measure, the move toward more cameras in prisons is urgent.
“I think for folks who are incarcerated, being able to have recorded interactions with staff adds a certain level of security, a certain level of transparency,” Ward said.
Ward said the cameras could deter misconduct.
“Over the past five years, the Department of Correction has settled a tremendous amount of litigation related to its medical care, but also its use of force,” Ward said. “I’m hoping that this significant investment in transparency will at least stem the tide of some of that litigation.”
Ward said the only video currently recorded in correctional facilities comes from fixed cameras that don’t gather sound. He said the addition of body-worn cameras would benefit both the incarcerated and facility staff.
“The body cameras can be useful not just to the incarcerated population, but also to staff,” Ward said. “When staff is accused of not following procedure or protocol, when there are instances where folks allege that certain conduct may have taken place, the body cameras are, I think, a heightened level of transparency.”
Correction union weighs in
Rudy Demiraj is a service representative for AFSCME Council 4, which represents roughly 4,000 correctional staff.
Demiraj said the union is not opposed to the body camera proposal, but questioned whether or not it’s the best use of state dollars.
“Those resources would probably be far better spent addressing the critical staffing shortage by hiring more correction officers, or investing in tools or technology that can actually curb the flow of drugs into the prisons – we're dealing with a big epidemic,” Demiraj said.
Demiraj said there already exists an “abundance of stationary cameras” inside correctional facilities, “and the reason for that is, we want to ensure transparency, accountability.”
“There probably isn't any other type of buildings in the state of Connecticut that are more surveilled than correctional facilities,” he said. “So the union's position is spending money on surveillance systems that really offer no meaningful improvement over what's already in place is simply just not a wise or effective use of dollars being allocated to the Department of Correction.”
Next steps
The department’s plan is required to include a price tag for implementing a body-worn camera program and a timeline for implementation, should the Assembly provide such funding.
Ward said a mandate for body-worn cameras would likely be phased in.
“There have been calls to maybe do pilot programs in two facilities that have very vulnerable populations, our women's facility and our youth facility,” Ward said. “This is not something that is going to happen for all 13 facilities overnight.”
“I think that it may take a couple years to get across the finish line,” he said.
In New England, states including New Hampshire and Massachusetts have passed similar laws pertaining to the use of body-worn cameras by correction staff, Ward said.
