A video showing the death of J’Allen Jones in a Connecticut prison has been released after a lengthy court battle. The 31-year-old man died in 2018 after corrections officers stripped him naked, placed a hood over his head, pepper-sprayed him, and pinned him to a bed.

Incident Details

According to the video, Jones was wheezing and begging for water before he became unresponsive. A team of nurses and corrections officers then performed CPR. The state medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, but the state’s attorney declined to move forward with criminal charges.

The video was released on orders from the Hartford Superior Court after years of advocacy and a lawsuit filed by Jones’ family. The state, through Attorney General William Tong’s office, had fought the release of the video in court.

Reaction and Response

Ron Murphy, one of the attorneys representing Jones’ family, encouraged people to watch the video and contact their elected officials to express their thoughts on how Jones was treated. Barbara Fair, a criminal justice advocate, criticized the state for the length of time it took to release the video.

DeVaughn Ward, the state’s correction ombudsman, said the release of the video highlights the need for more transparency in the state’s prisons. He has proposed a law that would allow his office to publicly release video footage of incidents like this in the future.

The Department of Correction’s interim commissioner, Sharonda Carlos, issued a statement expressing sympathy for Jones’ family and outlining steps the department is taking to address mental health and medical conditions in its facilities.

Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.