§ 18-7 — Powers and duties of warden. Punishment and reward of inmates.

Connecticut § 18-7

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 18: Correctional Institutions and Department of Correction
• Ch. 320: Correctional Institutions

Text

The warden shall manage the Connecticut Correctional Institution, Somers, subject to the direction of the Commissioner of Correction, and he shall keep all the prisoners employed in such labor as the commissioner orders, during the term of their imprisonment. He shall also keep a record of any punishment inflicted upon a prisoner, showing its cause, mode and degree, and a like record of the conduct of each prisoner. Any prisoner sentenced to a term of imprisonment prior to October 1, 1976, may, by good conduct and obedience to the rules of said institution, earn a commutation or diminution of his sentence, as follows: Sixty days for each year, and pro rata for a part of a year, of a sentence which is not for more than five years; and ninety days for the sixth and each subsequent year, and pro rata for a part of a year, and, in addition thereto, five days for each month as a meritorious time service award which may be granted in the discretion of the warden and the commissioner for exemplary conduct and meritorious achievement; provided any serious act of misconduct or insubordination or persistent refusal to conform to institution regulations occurring at any time during his confinement in said prison shall subject the prisoner, at the discretion of the warden and the commissioner, to the loss of all or any portion of the time earned. Said commutation of sentence shall apply to any prisoner transferred from the Connecticut Correctional Institution, Somers, to the John R. Manson Youth Institution, Cheshire. When any prisoner is held under more than one conviction, the several terms of imprisonment imposed thereunder shall be construed as one continuous term for the purpose of estimating the amount of commutation which he may earn under the provisions of this section. The commissioner may employ prisoners outside the institution walls, within the state, under the charge of some officer of the institution. He shall provide for the prisoners suitable food and clothing and suitable implements and materials for their work, and shall provide for the relief of any sick or infirm prisoner, and the cost thereof shall be paid by the state from funds appropriated and available for such purpose and, if the prisoner is hospitalized the cost thereof shall be paid as provided in section 18-52a. The warden shall superintend the labor and conduct of the prisoners, and, when requested, shall communicate to the commissioner any information in his knowledge respecting the prison. See Sec. 13a-250 re use of correctional institution inmates as laborers in construction of highways and bridges. See Sec. 18-89 re contracts for labor or services of inmates. See Sec. 54-128 re penalty for violation of parole.

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 3002; 1957, P.A. 225, S. 1; 1959, P.A. 107; 1963, P.A. 28, S. 2; 1967, P.A. 152, S. 29; 1969, P.A. 463, S. 1; P.A. 76-358, S. 1; P.A. 86-186, S. 10; P.A. 97-245, S. 2.) History: 1959 act stipulated serious act of misconduct may cause loss of time earned; 1963 act deleted provision for five-day commutation or diminution of sentence for each month prisoner is employed on farm connected with prison; 1967 act substituted “State Prison” for “prison” and changed references to board of directors to commissioner of correction, gave discretionary powers to warden for commutation or diminution of sentence for exemplary conduct and meritorious achievement and gave the authority of the warden to employ prisoners outside prison walls to the commissioner; 1969 act deleted references to terms of not more than one year; P.A. 76-358 made provisions applicable to terms of sentence made before October 1, 1976; P.A. 86-186 changed the name of the Connecticut Correctional Institution, Cheshire to the John R. Manson Youth Institution, Cheshire; P.A. 97-245 added provision that if the prisoner is hospitalized, the cost thereof shall be paid as provided in Sec. 18-52a. Functions such as commutation of sentences may be reposed in officers of these institutions. 116 C. 140. For purposes of determining diminution of sentence, terms imposed under several counts regarded as one continuous term. 129 C. 164. Cited. 130 C. 111; 166 C. 178. “Good time” credit may be earned during time served prior to or after sentencing. 169 C. 540, 541. Cited. 176 C. 638; 181 C. 85; 183 C. 418; 184 C. 434. For purposes of statute, plaintiff was considered “held” by defendant warden under both the consecutive sentences and the concurrent sentences. 185 C. 540. Cited. 207 C. 412. Aggregation of consecutive sentences in compensation of good-time credit discussed. 217 C. 568. Mandates aggregation of consecutive sentences imposed subsequent to October 1, 1976, as well as those imposed before that date. Id., 584. Cited. 230 C. 17. “One continuous term” language of section is applicable to statutory good time credit earned under Sec. 18-7a(c) and to presentence good time credit earned under Sec. 18-98d(b). 254 C. 214. Cited. 24 CA 612; 34 CA 503. Statute requires aggregation of petitioner's multiple sentences for the purpose of calculating good time credits whenever a prisoner is held under more than one conviction and does not require continuous confinement as a prerequisite to aggregation, thus break in confinement due to petitioner's escape from furlough does not change fact that petitioner was held under more than one conviction once he was sentenced on the felony murder conviction. 94 CA 210. Character of prisoner's right to earn good time is that of a privilege and not a vested right. 11 CS 281. Where sentences were not to same institution, an unexpired reformatory sentence did not run concurrently with prison sentence upon transfer to the latter institution. 19 CS 239. Cited. 25 CS 478; Id., 519; 27 CS 441. When life sentence reduced. 30 CS 20. Cited. Id., 54.