DANBURY, Conn. — Connecticut's two U.S. senators said Wednesday they were denied access to parts of a federal prison in Danbury while they were trying to examine conditions there.
Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal said they went to the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution on Wednesday but were not allowed to see the women's facility. They were allowed into a men's unit.
"This is unacceptable," Murphy said on social media. "My impression is the decision to limit our access came from well above the warden. She is managing the best she can."
The senators were there in response to correctional officers' complaints about a staffing shortage and lack of coronavirus precautions.
Murphy called the tour "very restrictive and very abbreviated" in a news update Wednesday, and he said he and Blumenthal remain concerned about the conditions of the correctional facility.
The federal Bureau of Prisons said concerns about the spread of COVID-19 itself were behind the denial.
"From what we gathered, around 40% of inmates are in either isolation or quarantine. Plus, the facility is badly understaffed. This poses a major risk to both inmates and staff and it must be addressed." Murphy added on Twitter.
"The drastic lack of staffing has persisted. In fact, it's worse than it was last year or the year before so far as the numbers indicate," Blumenthal said.
Murphy is calling for a faster COVID testing turnaround to reduce exposure, as he said it takes about 2-3 days to get results at the facility.
"Why hasn’t the BOP (Bureau of Prisons) invested in quicker testing systems to better manage the populations?" Murphy asked.
"As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I'm going to ask the chairman to convene a staff investigation that will encompass not only Danbury but other institutions like it where there may be equally inadequate staffing," Blumenthal said.
The bureau did not immediately respond to questions from the Associated Press about the correctional officers’ concerns.
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