The recent death of 27-year-old inmate Jaishon Bellamy at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution has brought up tough questions about prison safety and inmate mental health in Connecticut. People are also talking about how the state supervises high-risk offenders—this case has sparked concern from East Hartford to Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Stamford, New Britain, and Norwich.
East Hartford Man Dies by Apparent Suicide After Prison Assault Allegation
State officials say Bellamy, from East Hartford, died by apparent suicide not long after his transfer to MacDougall-Walker in Suffield. His transfer happened after an alleged attack on a female correction officer at Osborn Correctional Institution, another high-security prison in Connecticut.
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Investigators say they found Bellamy unresponsive in his cell, a bedsheet ligature around his neck. Medical staff tried to save him, and he was rushed to Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, but he was pronounced dead there.
Now, multiple agencies are digging into the circumstances of his death. The investigations are still underway, and details seem to be trickling out slowly.
Alleged Assault on Correction Officer at Osborn
Officials claim Bellamy was moved to MacDougall-Walker after he allegedly attacked a female correction officer at Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers. The assault reportedly happened in an area without security cameras, which really makes you wonder about the blind spots in these facilities.
Authorities allege the officer was violently attacked and sexually assaulted. She went to the hospital for treatment and was released later. The Department of Correction hasn’t named the officer, but this case has hit a nerve among correctional staff statewide, from New Haven to Bridgeport.
Bellamy’s Violent Criminal History in East Hartford
Bellamy was serving a long sentence for two brutal crimes that rattled East Hartford back in 2015, when he was only 16. The attacks left scars on the victims and their neighborhoods, and people in places like Waterbury, New Britain, and Norwich still talk about the case when discussing victim safety and violent crime among young offenders.
Two Separate Sexual Assaults and Attempted Murders
Court records show Bellamy was convicted in connection with two separate attacks on women in East Hartford:
Victim advocates in communities from Stamford to Hartford pointed to these incidents as examples of
Here is the source article for this story: CT man who brutally sexually assaulted women as teen dies in apparent suicide after attack on guard
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