Sen. Kissel Meets With Correctional Facility Administration

Meets with Carl Robinson Correctional Institute warden, deputy warden and tours facilities

State Senator John A. Kissel (R-Enfield) on Wednesday, June 16, attended a meeting with Warden Christine M. Whidden and Deputy Warden William Faneuff at the Carl Robinson Correctional Institute and went on a tour of the facilities.

“I’ll always remember July 12, 1994. I was at Carl Robinson when there was a major riot, where two inmates were killed and 35 inmates and two corrections officers were injured. One inflatable building was burned and property damage exceeded $300,000.” said Sen. Kissel. “I remember standing outside that fence with then Hartford State’s Attorney Jack Bailey waiting for the Corrections Emergency Response Team to arrive and I am still amazed by how far the prison has come. It is now one of the best organized facilities in the state and programs initiated here are being replicated by other prisons around Connecticut.”

Carl Robinson’s most well known program is called TOP, which stands for Time Out Program. TOP works to rehabilitate inmates. Currently if an ex-offender violates their probation just once, they are sent back to prison to finish out their sentence, which can be years. TOP approaches probation with the goal of getting inmates back into their communities as law abiding citizens, freeing up beds, and breaking the cycle of recidivism. When inmates are sent back for minor violations, Carl Robinson has a special unit where these people are heavily monitored, coached and counseled to get back into the community in just a matter of months. This program has been so successful that two other facilities are already working to replicate it.

“Carl Robinson has developed into a top quality correctional facility,” said Sen. Kissel. “I was very impressed with everything I saw. Through the hard work of the wonderful staff and administration there, more inmates are being released as more productive members of their community making Connecticut a safer and better place to live.”

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