Prison officials in Conn., other states, fear open records laws may jeopardize guard safety

Conn. tries to stop inmates seeking dirt on guards

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut could join at least a dozen other states by restricting prison inmates from using FOI laws to get personal information to harass or threaten their guards — and, in some cases, prosecutors or other inmates.

Inmates in Connecticut and around the country have swamped systems with information requests — for guards’ personnel and arrest records, files affecting the inmates’ own legal cases, and details as mundane as meal ingredients.

No Connecticut correction officers have been harmed or harassed because no personnel records have yet been released. Prison officials say they are fighting the FOIs because they view them as a threat to the safety and security of staff and at the prisons.