Concord prison
There is so much turmoil going on in the state about the men’s prison in Concord. The executive council has put hold on the 35 million design plan for rebuilding the prison on a site already approved. In 2024, Governor Sununu said the prison was a lawsuit waiting to happen. It has consistently failed inspections, both health and fire. There are rat droppings in the kitchen, black mold, poor ventilation and severe overcrowding. Some of the prisoners are forced to sleep in the common area because there is no other place for them.
City councilman Fennessey raises his concerns about the multiple trips of ambulances to the facility. Perhaps the squalid conditions are part of the reason. During this past winter, people were sent to the ER because of fractures from falling on ice. (Not enough sand to cover all of the areas.) Summer heat is coming again to a cinderblock building with no A/C, and the prisoners only allowed ice once a day. If this were a dog kennel, it would have been closed long ago
The State of New Hampshire incarcerates more people than any European country, the prison population has gone up by 432% since the 1980s. Are we 432% safer? This is because of super sentences and convictions with no investigations. Start Ombudsman program linked to Conviction Integrity Units, end qualified immunity. Norway had the same issues but is now closing prisons thanks to reforms they have started. Commissioner Hart is doing the best he can with no funds and little support.