Senators say they were denied full access to federal prison

By DAVE COLLINS
Associated Press

Two U.S. senators say they were denied access to parts of a federal prison in Connecticut while trying to examine conditions there. Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal say they went to the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution on Wednesday but were not allowed to see the women’s facility. They were allowed into a men’s unit. The senators were there in response to correctional officers’ complaints about a staffing shortage and lack of coronavirus precautions. The federal Bureau of Prisons says concerns about the spread of COVID-19 itself were behind the denial. The bureau did not immediately respond to questions about the correctional officers’ concerns about staffing and COVID-19.