Editor’s Note: One year ago today — 0n April 13, 2020 — Carlos DeLeon, a 63-year-old Hispanic man, became the first incarcerated person in Connecticut to die of COVID-19. In the intervening months, roughly 18 more would die after contracting the disease behind bars as state officials scrambled to test, isolate and — more recently — vaccinate inmates and staff. At the same time, though, the pandemic has led to a record low prison population, allowing the state to begin planning for the closure of three prisons. Below, a look ahead at what’s next for Connecticut’s prisons. For the past 15 years, criminal justice experts have produced a report forecasting the size of Connecticut’s incarcerated population. Most of the time, their projections were within five percentage points of reality.