The health and safety for people inside has been an ongoing concern for years. We have heard countless accounts of the inhumane conditions people are forced to live in. Because of this disheartening reality, people are being sentenced to death by the Connecticut Department of Correction.

On January 30th , Patrick “Diddy” Batchelor died as a result of willful medical neglect by Cheshire Correctional Institution. Patrick is a father, brother, son, and beloved community member who was a talented local musician who brought joy and positive energy to people in the community. Patrick’s passing is a huge loss to his family and the whole community.

There are numerous witnesses that attest to seeing Patrick seeking help repeatedly from medical services. Anyone that knows Patrick, knows that using his voice was one of his many talents. Yet when he used his voice to alert the Department of Corrections that his health was in jeopardy the response was silence. Instead they threw him into another cell and allowed for his condition to worsen. He died suffering the reality that he was at the mercy of the Department of Corrections. He died never receiving any mercy. He died because of the neglect and silence from the Department of Corrections.

When a person is remanded to the custody of the Department of Corrections , DOC inherits the responsibility to keep our community members safe while they are serving their sentence.

The reality is twenty-nine people have died from Covid19 since 2020, that is an average of one person a month. During the pandemic, we know of several loved ones who have died behind the walls due to contributing factors of inadequate mental health support and medical care.

Not only are people behind the walls living in constant fear of dying in jail, this is an everyday reality for countless families who have mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons behind those walls.

We stand united as a community requesting that DOC and the state of CT take accountability by providing a Mutual Aid Relief Fund for community members to govern. Allocating up to $100,000 to each family to help with funeral expenses, possible mental health and trauma support to name a few examples of needs for families. We know that the state of Connecticut has received a surplus of funds. All across the state, cities and towns have the discretion to use these funds.

One example, is the city of New Haven has allocated $5 million of federal COVID-19 funds to police departments and the state has allocated $40 million to the Department of Corrections.

Families are currently suffering in silence, with the creation of this fund we can begin to support the healing that is much needed in our communities. Now is the time for the state to come together with families and community members to take on the responsibility to create resources that support families and communities who have lost loved ones behind the walls.