HARTFORD, Conn — Gov. Ned Lamont has named a veteran employee at the Connecticut Department of Correction to lead the agency.
Angel Quiros first joined the department as a correctional officer 31 years ago and becomes its first Hispanic commissioner. He said Wednesday he believes the agency is better prepared for a possible new coronavirus surge this fall than it was months ago when the pandemic began and “mistakes” were made.
He said prison officials have learned much more about the virus since spring. Some policies, such as isolating inmates who tested positive at state’s maximum security prison and not allowing them to shower, have been changed.
He was deputy commissioner of operations and rehabilitative services, which he has held since January 2019.
He has also been serving in the capacity of interim commissioner since July, following the departure of the agency’s most recent commissioner, Rollin Cook, from the position.
In addition to his work within the state’s criminal justice system, Gov. Lamont says Quiros will bring a national perspective to the agency from his work as an independent criminal justice consultant with the Moss Group out of Washington, DC, which has brought him to several correctional systems around the country.
“Experience is imperative when it comes to the operations of our correctional facilities, and it can’t be denied that Angel is intimately familiar with Connecticut’s correctional and criminal justice systems,” Governor Lamont said. “Our correction department has a key responsibility and role in our ongoing efforts to expand rehabilitation and prevent re-entry, and my administration remains focused on maintaining this momentum so that we can continue to drive Connecticut’s crime rate to historic lows. I look forward to working with Angel on these reforms.”
Melvin Medina, public policy and advocacy director for the ACLU of Connecticut said, “Governor Lamont’s decision to appoint a new DOC commissioner without public hearings or feedback demonstrates disappointing disregard for transparency and public engagement and backtracks on the spirit of a campaign promise Lamont made in 2018
“I am extremely grateful to Governor Lamont for selecting me as his choice to guide the Department of Correction into the future,” Interim Commissioner Quiros said. “I promise to work tirelessly to earn the trust the governor has placed in me.”
Quiros grew up on Park Street in Hartford, where he had built ties with the community as his father and uncle owned a neighborhood grocery store. He earned a bachelor of science in human services from Springfield College.
Upon his confirmation by the General Assembly, Quiros became the first-ever Latino man or woman to serve as DOC commissioner.
Gov. Lamont says Connecticut’s prison and jail population has dramatically decreased over the last several years while at the same time crime rates have also reached historic lows.
