Garner Correctional Institution

Garner Correctional Institution

Location	Newtown, Connecticut
Coordinates	41°23′58″N 73°16′18″W / 41.39944°N 73.27167°W / 41.39944; -73.27167
Status	Open
Security class	Level 4 (High)
Capacity	593
Opened	1992
Managed by	Connecticut, Department of Correction
Warden	Jeanette Maldonado[1]

Garner Correctional Institution is a high-security state prison for men in Newtown, Connecticut. It was built in 1992 and began housing inmates later that year. The facility holds both pre-trial defendants and sentenced offenders, and serves as the Department of Correction's dedicated mental health facility for adult male inmates requiring significant psychiatric treatment.^[2][3]

History

In the late 1980s, Connecticut faced significant prison overcrowding due to rising incarceration rates. To relieve pressure on existing facilities, such as Bridgeport and Cheshire, the Department of Correction launched an expansion program^[4] that included the construction of Garner Correctional Institution.^[5]

The prison was established in 1992 on land that had previously belonged to the Fairfield Hills Hospital campus.^[6] It is named in honor of Ward A. Garner, who served as warden of the Wethersfield State Prison from 1911 to 1918.^[1]

Incidents

On March 25, 2018, inmate J’Allen Jones died following a confrontation with correctional officers at the facility. His death was ruled a homicide, and despite the state’s attempts to have the case dismissed, a wrongful-death lawsuit remains ongoing.^[7]

On May 25, 2019, correctional officer Christopher Byars stabbed inmate Justin Mustafa in the hand with a key during an altercation. Mustafa subsequently filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging excessive force.^[8] In October 2024, Mustafa was awarded monetary damages for the assault.^[9]

In August 2023, inmate Joe Baltas stabbed two officers using a sharpened toothbrush. Both officers were transported to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries and later released.^[10]

Between July and August 2024, Garner CI experienced three inmate deaths in less than a month, prompting investigations by the Department of Correction and state police.^[11]

Notable inmates

• Richard Crafts - convicted in 1989 of murdering his wife, Helle Crafts, in Newtown, in what became known as the “woodchipper murder.”^[12]
• Philip Giordano - former mayor of Waterbury, convicted in 2003 of sexually abusing two young girls while in office.^[13]
• Michael Skakel - nephew of Ethel Kennedy, convicted in 2002 of the 1975 murder of his Greenwich neighbor Martha Moxley.^[14]
• Tyree L. Smith - sentenced in 2013 for killing and cannibalizing Angel Gonzalez in Bridgeport, earning him the moniker “Connecticut Cannibal.”^[15][16]

References

1. Garner CI, https://portal.ct.gov/doc/facility/garner-ci. Accessed 3 September 2025.
2. "Health Services". Connecticut Department of Correction. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
3. "CT – Garner Handbook" (PDF). University of Michigan Law School Policy Clearinghouse. December 2013. p. 3. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
4. Johnson, Kirk (October 18, 1990). "In Connecticut, a Big Silence on Prison Crisis". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
5. "History of The Connecticut Department of Correction". Connecticut State Department of Correction. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
6. Gorosko, Andrew (May 15, 1998). "Watertown Hall Property Conveyed To Town". The Newtown Bee. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
7. Dempsey, Christine (October 4, 2024). "CT inmate's family wants video of deadly confrontation with Newtown prison guards released". CT Insider. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
8. "Mustafa v. Byars, No. 3:2019-cv-01780 – Document 162 (D. Conn. 2025)". Justia. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
9. Dempsey, Christine (December 18, 2024). "ACLU wants video showing CT prison guard stabbing inmate with key made public". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
10. Backus, Lisa (September 29, 2023). "Connecticut State Police charge former Newtown inmate with stabbing two correction officers". New Canaan Advertiser. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
11. "CT inspector general investigates prison deaths that occurred days apart in Newtown". Darien Times. August 6, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
12. Gorosko, Andrew (August 11, 1999). "Richard Crafts Transferred To Garner". The Newtown Bee. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
13. Holtz, Jeff (August 27, 2006). "THE WEEK; Imprisoned Ex-Mayor Seeks Waterbury Pay". The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
14. Hu, Winnie (August 30, 2002). "Skakel Given 20 Years to Life for 1975 Murder". The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
15. Wood, Alex (May 12, 2025). "Records show man in CT cannibalism case assaulted inmate. Did officials know before releasing him?". CT Insider. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
16. "VERIFY: Was a Connecticut 'cannibal' released into the community?". FOX61. February 26, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.