Officials: Flooding caused by 'sewage backup' forces relocation of prisoners at Bridgeport's North Ave Jail
The North Avenue Correctional Facility - which houses 600 inmates - has been the subject of intense scrutiny and debate in recent years, amid complaints about "poor living conditions" and an aging infrastructure "in desperate need of repairs."
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Up to 150 inmates at the North Avenue Correctional Facility in Bridgeport were moved out of their cells and into a gymnasium at the facility Wednesday, after a sewage backup led to flooding in two prisoner housing units, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Corrections told News 12 Thursday.
The North Avenue Correctional Facility - which houses 600 inmates - has been the subject of intense scrutiny and debate in recent years, amid complaints about "poor living conditions" and an aging infrastructure "in desperate need of repairs."
"And that's exactly what appears to have happened here yesterday," said City Councilwoman Jeanette Herron, who lives near the jail.
"The inmates who were relocated to the gym are now being returned to their housing units - but a very serious problem persists here and it cannot be remedied in a day or two. The jail needs to be demolished and a new facility needs to be built somewhere else outside of Bridgeport," Herron said.
Mayor Joe Ganim recently announced plans to build affordable housing on the site after the jail is demolished, but an exact timeline for the demolition has not yet been established.
