Rep. Vail tours Somers’ Northern Correctional

SOMERS — State Rep. Kurt Vail (R-52) toured Northern Correctional Institution (NCI) Wednesday, a facility, Vail said, is a model for other prisons in the United States.

Vail, a former corrections officer who won election to the legislature in November, joined prison staff for a full tour of the high-security state prison. With a declining prison population statewide, Vail said proper treatment of inmates and a professional staff – with appropriate funding and facilities – has made NCI the top corrections operation in Connecticut.

“The staff and administration at NCI are professional, personable and good at what they do,” Vail said. “I want to thank Warden Anne Cournoyer and Deputy Warden William Mulligan for inviting me, and for their insight and hard work. NCI is a well-oiled machine and Connecticut should be proud.”

Including the state’s death row inmates, NCI’s has a population of 233. Because of changes in the law and concerns regarding prison overcrowding, Connecticut’s inmate population has decreased by about 400 and corrections officials believe next year it will be less.

Vail is a member of the legislative committees on labor and public safety, both of which encompass part of the corrections department network: most employees are members of public unions and public safety oversees corrections operations.