Civil rights advocates in Connecticut are speaking out after an investigation found that the state's Department of Correction was negligent in monitoring an inmate who took his own life. The case has renewed scrutiny of how the department oversees the people in its custody and how it accounts for what happens behind cell doors.
According to the Connecticut Inspector General, the death of 33 year old Gamboy Guaranda, which occurred back in April, was not the result of any criminal action. That conclusion stopped short of criminal wrongdoing, but the report was pointed about the failures it did identify in the way the inmate was watched over.
The report concluded that an on duty corrections officer did not intervene at a critical moment. Guaranda had blocked the window of his cell door with a piece of paper before ending his life, an obvious warning sign that, according to investigators, should have prompted a response from the officer responsible for monitoring him.
Compounding the lapse, the investigation found that the same officer falsely made entries on a log indicating that he had conducted the required tours of the cell that morning. In other words, the paperwork suggested the checks had been carried out even though they had not, masking the gap in supervision.
For advocates, that falsification is at the heart of the concern. When a record is falsified and it is then reported out to the public, one advocate said, it makes you wonder how many other times this kind of thing has been going on inside the Department of Correction, raising doubts about the reliability of the department's own accounts.
The distinction the Inspector General drew, that the officer's conduct was negligent but did not rise to the level of criminal behavior, is likely to frame the debate over accountability going forward. Critics argue that a finding of negligence, paired with falsified records, still demands a serious response even without criminal charges.
The death also lands against a troubling backdrop. More than a dozen people have died in Connecticut Department of Correction custody so far this year, a toll that advocates say underscores the need for closer oversight of conditions and monitoring inside the state's correctional facilities.