Advocates, survivors and oversight office push Connecticut to codify PREA standards

The Judiciary Committee on March 4 heard passionate testimony supporting Governor's Bill 89 to incorporate the Federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, or PREA, into Connecticut statute.

Beth Hamilton, executive director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, told the committee SB 89 would make PREA standards enforceable at the state level and require annual certification, public reporting and access to confidential advocates and medical care for victims. "SB 89 codifies the Federal Prison Rape Elimination Act or PREA into state law requiring all state and local agencies that incarcerate or detain adults or juveniles to comply with PREA standards," Hamilton said.

Survivors and advocates described systemic failures that the bill aims to address. Alex Brown, an MSW student and policy advocate who said his experience of sexual abuse while incarcerated is documented in a Disability Rights Connecticut investigation, described gaps in incident reviews, surveillance and mental-health care at York Correctional Institution and urged the committee to "strengthen SB 89 so that it truly reflects the dignity, safety, and humanity of the people whose lives depend on these protections." Brown said oversight alone will not fix structural conditions that allow abuse to occur.

Representing the Office of the Correctional Ombuds, Matt Mitchell said codification would help preserve protections if federal enforcement weakens. "When sexual abuse occurs inside a correctional facility, it's not simple misconduct. It is a failure of the state's most fundamental obligation to protect those it has confined," Mitchell said, noting the Ombuds' office is conducting an independent investigation related to allegations involving Lashonda Gregory and that, because the probe is ongoing, the office could not comment on findings at the hearing.

Senator Kathy Austin, who said she worked in corrections for more than two decades, urged the committee to embed federal standards in statute so they remain in effect despite changes in federal policy. She also urged the bill require reporting on incidents involving staff and to reconstitute multi-stakeholder review groups to examine cases regularly.

Supporters pointed to recent investigations and to the April 2025 termination of federal support for PREA training and technical assistance as reasons the state should make protections durable. Witnesses asked the committee to adopt person-first language in statute, to ensure survivors can access independent advocates and to create a reporting structure that routes complaints to the Office of the Correctional Ombuds for review.

Committee members asked technical questions about whether the bill should verbatim adopt federal PREA language or set state standards that achieve the same protections; witnesses said the important outcome is enforceable state standards, transparent reporting and access to services. The committee requested follow-up responses from the Ombuds' office on how certain PREA elements are incorporated.

The hearing closed with the committee scheduling further work days; no formal action was taken during this session.