ACLU Foundation of Connecticut
HARTFORD – The ACLU of Connecticut has filed an expedited petition in the state's appellate court for the immediate release of a video showing the death of J'Allen Jones inside the Garner Correctional Institution. Mr. Jones's estate has sued the Department of Correction employees involved in the death in Richardson v. Semple. The employees filed a copy of the video in the superior court, claiming it as their proof that they should not be held accountable for Mr. Jones's death.
The DOC employees involved have told the court that the video is an end-to-end recording of the events leading to, and resulting in, Mr. Jones's death. They filed the video with the court without asking that it be restricted from public view.
The ACLU of Connecticut requested a copy from the court and was denied the request on Friday, October 4. The court told the ACLU of Connecticut that the video was sealed.
“As the sole evidence of what happened to Mr. Jones at the hands of the Department of Correction, and as a court filing that has never been sealed, the public should have access to the video as guaranteed by state law and the First Amendment,” said ACLU of Connecticut legal director Dan Barrett. “To be clear: We do not wish for anyone to have to view the video, but we believe that the public — especially lawmakers who are elected to represent the people of Connecticut — should have access to this video because it is evidence and has not been sealed. It is imperative the people know what is being done in our names behind prison walls.”
The petition to the appellate court follows a procedure by which anyone affected by a court decision limiting access to a court record may ask for emergency review. The ACLU of Connecticut filed its petition on Monday, October 7, after the initial court denial on the Friday before. “We hope that the Appellate Court clarifies that the video has never been sealed, and that it cannot be sealed,” said Barrett.
A copy of the petition is here.
