Help End Prison Gerrymandering Prison gerrymandering funnels political power away from urban communities to legislators who have prisons in their (often white, rural) districts. More than two decades ago, the Prison Policy Initiative put numbers on the problem and sparked the movement to end prison gerrymandering.

Can you help us continue the fight? Thank you.

—Peter Wagner, Executive DirectorDonate

Connecticut has enacted legislation to end prison gerrymandering. It is one of more than a dozen states counted incarcerated people at home for redistricting purposes in the 2020 redistricting cycle.

Connecticut - Campaign Archive

Sections
Fact sheets and Maps
Report
Press coverage
Legislation
Testimony
Organizations in Connecticut

The U.S. Census Bureau counts incarcerated people where they are confined not where they are from. Using these counts to draw state and local legislative districts enhances the policial clout of people who live near prisons at the expense of everyone else in the state or county.


Fact sheets and Maps


Report

  • report thumbnail Imported “Constituents”: Incarcerated People and Political Clout in Connecticut, is a district-by-district analysis of prison-based gerrymandering in Connecticut legislative districts after the 2010 Census.

Press coverage


Legislation

Current session:

  • SB 753, co-sponsored by Sen. Gary A. Winfield, Sen. Derek Slap, and Rep. Patricia A. Dillon, for the January 2021 session. Drafted by the Government Administration and Elections Committee March 3, 2021. The bill passed the Senate on May 5, 2021 and the House on May 12, 2021. SB 753 signed by the Governor on May 26, 2021. And SB 155, introduced by Sen. Will Haskell and Rep. Quentin W. Phipps, for the January 2021 session.

Previous legislation:

  • HB 5611, introduced by the Government Administration and Elections Committee for the January Session, 2019.
  • SB 459, introduced by the Judiciary Committee for the February Session, 2016
  • HB 5518, “An Act Concerning the Determination of Residence for Incarcerated Persons,” introduced by Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, January 22, 2013
  • HB 6679, “An Act Concerning the Counting of Incarcerated Persons for Purposes of Determining Legislative Districts and Distributing State and Federal Funds,” introduced by the Judiciary Committee, March 25, 2013
  • HB6606, An Act Concerning the Determination of the Residence of Incarcerated Persons for Purposes of Legislative Redistricting, introduced March 16, 2011

Select Testimony

2019 session:

  • Aleks Kajstura, Legal Director, Prison Policy Initiative, 02/15/2019
  • Cheri Quickmire, Executive Director, Common Cause in Connecticut, 02/15/2019
  • Ashley Hall, Law Student Intern, Rule of Law Clinic at Yale Law School, Representing the Connecticut State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 02/15/2019

2016 session:

  • Aleks Kajstura, Legal Director, Prison Policy Initiative, 03/21/2016
  • David McGuire, Legislative & Policy Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut (ACLU), 03/21/2016
  • Werner Oyanadel, Executive director, Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, 03/21/2016
  • Gloria Bent, President, League of Women Voters of Connecticut, Inc., 03/21/2016
  • Ingrid Alvarez, Connecticut State Director, Hispanic Federation, 03/21/2016

2013 session:

  • Peter Wagner, Executive Director, Prison Policy Initiative, 04/01/2013
  • Leah Aden, Assistant Counsel, Political Participation Group NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., 04/01/2013
  • David McGuire, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, 04/01/2013

During 2011 redistricting:

  • Peter Wagner, Executive Director, Prison Policy Initiative, 07/05/2011
  • Kim Hynes, Senior Organizer, Common Cause in Connecticut, 06/30/2011

Previous sessions:

  • Amy Meek, 03/21/2011
  • Dale Ho, Assistant Counsel, Political Participation Group, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., 03/21/2011
  • David McGuire, Staff Attorney, ACLU-CT, 03/21/2011
  • Denise Merrill, Secretary of the State of Connecticut, 03/21/2011
  • Julia Knight, 03/21/2011
  • Liz Dupont-Diehl, 03/21/2011
  • Matthew Smith and Meghan McCormack, 03/21/2011
  • Peter Wagner, Executive Director, Prison Policy Initiative, 03/21/2011
  • Representative Charlie L. Stallworth, 03/21/2011
  • Senator Marin M. Looney, 03/21/2011
  • Susan Pease, Ph.D., Dean of Arts and Sciences, CCSU, Board Member, Common Cause in Connecticut,  03/21/2011
  • Timothy Slocum, 03/21/2011 (Mayor Slocum addressed the provisions of a related bill, SB1193, which purports to affect funding distributions. The HB6606 bill, however, applies only to state legislative redistricting.)
  • Testimony of Brenda Wright (Director, Democracy Program Demos: A Network for Ideas & Action) Before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary of the Connecticut General Assembly on House Bill 5523, March 19, 2010
  • Letter of support from Dale Ho, Assistant Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., March 22, 2010
  • Do you have copies of other submitted testimonies? Contact us.

Leaders in Connecticut

It’s impossible to include everyone who is working toward fair districting in Connecticut, but if you are looking to get involved, these are some of the people and organizations you might want to contact first:



Stay Informed


Get the latest updates:



Share on 𝕏 Donate