State to close three prisons as advocates call for reinvestment in marginalized communities The number of people in correctional facilities has plummeted over the past decade. Gov. Ned Lamont proposed ‘right-sizing’ Connecticut’s correctional system Wednesday, saying the state will close three facilities due to a decade-long decline in the prison population that has become even more precipitous since the beginning of the pandemic. The state’s incarcerated population has decreased by 49% between January 2011 to January 2021. Closing prisons and their housing units would save money by reducing staff overtime costs and focusing resources on a smaller number of correctional facilities. The Department of Correction currently operates 14 prisons and jails that hold 9,047 people, an occupancy rate of 54%, said the governor’s budget director, Melissa McCaw.