DeVaughn Ward knows what it’s like to have someone close to you in prison.
When Ward was growing up around Hartford, some of his loved ones were incarcerated, including his brother, who spent 18 years in prison.
Because of overcrowding, the state sent some incarcerated people to Virginia during that time. Ward attended nearby Howard University in Washington D.C., and visited with his brother in prison.
“I was really familiar with, comfortable with, going into prisons from a pretty early age,” he said.
Ward remained focused on the experience of people in prison in the years that followed. Ward earned a degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law, worked in local government, and represented clients in court who were denied access to adequate health care while incarcerated.
He will draw from those experiences in his new role as the state’s interim correctional ombudsman, a position he took on this summer on a temporary basis.
Lawmakers restored the position in 2022 to provide independent oversight of the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC), and to safeguard the rights of people in prison.
“My role as an ombuds is to really be a mediator between DOC and the incarcerated population,” Ward said. “I view myself as the chief advocate for the incarcerated population at the legislature, in terms of opining and offering testimony on bills that impact their conditions of confinement.”
Ward is managing attorney at a private law practice in Hartford, and previously worked in state and local government in Connecticut. He also served from 2020 to 2023 as senior legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project, based in Washington D.C. In that role, he lobbied in favor of legalizing adult-use cannabis sales in Connecticut and four other northeast states, and for medical cannabis in a handful of other locations, according to the governor’s office.
Ward has also represented incarcerated people in lawsuits filed against the Department of Correction, including some that resulted in significant settlements.
In one such case, the state paid $1.65 million to the family of a 19-year-old who died from complications from lupus while incarcerated, according to the Connecticut Mirror.
Ward also represented Wayne World, a man with skin cancer whose condition wasn’t properly diagnosed while he was in prison. Ward remembers when they met, World was wrapped in gauze, with serious wounds all over his body. He eventually won a settlement of over $1 million from the state.
Ward said ensuring people in prison have access to medical care will remain one of his priorities in the ombudsman role.
“At the top of my mind is, what resources is the state committed to putting around medical care in prison?” he said. “How do we provide care to this population?”
Ward was selected after a contentious process, two years after funding was set aside for his office. Gov. Ned Lamont picked a different nominee, against the guidance of the Correction Advisory Committee, which recommended two other candidates. Both are vocal advocates for people incarcerated in the state.
One of them, Barbara Fair, praised the governor’s decision to appoint Ward because of his track record of safeguarding civil rights in court. Fair, a longtime advocate for prison reform, said she hopes Ward will scrutinize policies that she believes have resulted in abuse, such as the policy on cavity searches.
Fair also wants to ensure incarcerated people receive enough time outside a prison cell. A state law now mandates minimum recreation time.
“We have to make sure, through this ombudsman, that they don’t fall back into their old patterns once a law is changed,” she said.
Right now, Ward’s priority is to get more funding from the legislature for his office, which needs additional staff. Ward noted that in New Jersey, the corrections ombudsperson’s office has more than 20 staff positions.
It’s also unclear if Ward will hold the position permanently. The advisory committee this summer initiated a new search for a permanent ombudsman. The person selected for the role will receive a two-year appointment.
Looking at the months ahead, Ward asked for lawmakers and the public to have patience while he begins the ombudsman’s work.
“I have the belief and the hope that the folks over at DOC are trying to just do their jobs and also get home safely to their families,” he said. “And so, try to give everybody that measure of grace.”
This story was first published Nov. 14, 2024 by Connecticut Public.