Key facts
- Video released Friday shows Connecticut prison officers striking inmate J'Allen Jones multiple times before his death in 2018.
- Officers stripped Jones, placed a spit bag over his head, and sprayed pepper spray at his face.
- Jones was reportedly suffering a mental health crisis and schizophrenic episode at the time of the incident.
- The medical examiner ruled Jones' death a homicide, citing struggle, restraint, chest compression, and pepper spray exposure.
- A state prosecutor and an internal Correction Department investigation found no evidence of crimes or excessive force, but policy violations.
- Nine staff members received one-day suspensions without pay for policy violations.
Newly released video footage shows Connecticut prison officers striking inmate J'Allen Jones multiple times, stripping him naked, placing a spit bag over his head, and spraying pepper spray at his face shortly before he died in 2018. The video was released Friday by a state judge overseeing Jones' family's lawsuit against eight officers and a prison nurse after a yearslong legal battle.
Jones, 31, was serving a 10-year sentence for robbery at Garner Correctional Institution when he died on March 25, 2018. He was reportedly suffering a mental health crisis and schizophrenic episode, and officers were attempting to take him to a medical unit for treatment.
The 52-minute video depicts Jones, handcuffed and later shackled, being struck with knees and fists, and pinned down. He is heard yelling, "In the blood of Jesus Christ!" and demanding to be uncuffed. Approximately 17 minutes into the video, he appears to have trouble breathing after the spit bag and pepper spray were used. By the 24-minute mark, he appears unconscious, and an officer requests a nurse evaluation.
CPR was initiated about 28 minutes into the video, and 911 was called. An ambulance arrived over 43 minutes into the footage, and Jones was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The Department of Correction initially stated Jones became "non-compliant and combative" and then "non-responsive," with no immediate indications of excessive force.
The medical examiner ruled Jones' death a homicide, citing "sudden death during struggle and restraint with chest compression and pepper spray exposure in person with hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease." However, a state prosecutor in January 2019 determined no crimes were committed. An internal Correction Department investigation found policy violations by nine staff members for failing to recognize Jones' medical distress for over seven minutes, though not intentionally. The nine staff members received one-day suspensions without pay.
Jones' family lawyer, Ron Murphy, stated that eight of the nine defendants are white, and one is Black. He emphasized the importance of the public seeing the footage to consider whether race or schizophrenia played a role in how Jones' cries were perceived. Murphy expressed hope that the video would lead to improvements in the prison system and urged viewers to watch with an open heart, remembering Jones as a father and son.