Cheshire Correctional Institution

The Cheshire Correctional Institution is a state prison for men located in Cheshire, Connecticut. 

It confines long-term, adult sentenced offenders, and it also operates several specialized housing units, including protective custody and restrictive housing.

The facility emphasizes rewards for deserving inmates via opportunities for bettering themselves by learning a trade through prison industries, educational programming, addiction service programming, and religious programming.

The vocational education programs conduct dozens of projects assisting non-profit and community organizations, which include refurbishment and donation of bicycles to local elementary schools. 

The Cheshire Reformatory was established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1909 and opened in 1913 after three years of construction carried out by inmates from the State Prison in Wethersfield.  It was designed as a reformatory for male offenders, ages 16-24, with the intention of separating these offenders from the adult prison population. 

The physical plant consists of four inmate housing units and is situated on 25 acres.  The cells of the north block galleys were reportedly purchased from Sing Sing prison in New York and brought to Connecticut by barge.

In 1956, an addition was built, and in 1968 the facility was merged administratively with the newly created Department of Correction.

In 1982, the facility was designated for adult males, and in 1993, the galleys closed and the new North and South Blocks were opened. In 1998 the commissary housing unit opened.

Cheshire Correctional Institution currently houses about 1,300 inmates, including about 60 pre-trial inmates.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

No social visits on Wednesdays (7 AM - 3 PM) and Fridays (4 PM - 11 PM)  until further notice. 

For general population, the visiting hours are as follows:

Monday, Thursday, and Saturday: 9:15 am to 10:15 am, 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm, 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm to 8:15 pm, and 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

Tuesday: 9:15 am to 10:15 am, 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm, 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and 7:15 pm to 8:15 pm.

Wednesday: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm and 7:15 pm to 8:15 pm

Friday: 8:00 am to 9:00 am, 9:15 am to 10:15 am, 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm, and 1:30 to 2:30 pm

Sunday: 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm, 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, 7:15 pm to 8:15 pm, and 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

Visits with an inmate in the general population are in one-hour blocks. No more than three (3) visits during the week (including weekend visits).  General population can have alternate weekend visits based on the last digit of the inmate number (odd/even).  

North Block 4 PC Upper Tier visiting is on Saturdays 8:00 am to 9:30 am and Sundays from 10:00 am to 11:30 am.

North Block 4 PC Lower Tier has visiting on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 11:30am and Sundays from 8:00 am to 9:30 am.

Special Management inmates have visiting blocks starting at the following times: Mondays 8:00 am, Tuesdays 8:00 am and 8:30 pm, Wednesdays at 8:30 pm, and Thursdays at 8:00 am.

Special management visits are ½ hour and must be pre-scheduled.  For schedule information on weekend visits, call the facility at 203- 651-6101.

Annex Visiting is in two sessions, on Monday through Friday, first at 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm and second at 8:15pm to 9:15 pm. 

Visitors Dress Code: Absolutely NO hats, hooded clothing, outer jackets (full zip, plush), scarves (head or neck), headgear (only religious), spandex leggings (pants, dresses, shorts), tights, jeggings, or any article of clothing that’s overly tight. 

Shirts and dresses must not be see-through, must have sleeves (no crop tops, cut outs, tube tops, or tank tops). Shorts, skirts, and dresses must not be any shorter than 6” above the knee. 

As a friendly reminder, please come prepared to cover up with additional authorized items if attire is considered provocative or inappropriate. 

Getting on the approved visiting list

Before you can visit, you must be placed on the inmate's approved visiting list. Upon incarceration, inmates are allowed to set up a visiting list.  Visiting forms will be sent by the inmate's counselor to those designated by the offender.  

It is up to the offender to notify a visitor that they have been added to the visiting list.

Once you receive your form, complete and sign the application and mail it back to the assigned counselor.  Because this process can take two to three weeks, wardens have the discretion to permit a courtesy visit, for up to two (2) adult visitors from the inmate's immediate family to visit with the inmate prior to the approval of the application. 

An adult is defined as an individual who is 18 years of age or older. Children must be accompanied by an adult on the approved visitor list and remain under the supervision of the adult visitor.

All correspondence must include the inmate's full name and their inmate number in addition to the address of the Cheshire Correctional Institution.

Do not use padded mailing envelopes when corresponding with inmates as they may present a security issue. The use of such envelopes will result in slower delivery of mail.

Books and magazines can only be sent to an inmate if they are in new condition and are packaged and shipped by the book store, book club, or publisher from which they are purchased.  

Outside CD's and tapes must be educational or religious in nature and not be available through commissary.  You can order them from a commercial distributor, and they must be sent directly by the distributor. Like books or magazines, incoming CD's are subject to review.

The Connecticut Department of Correction does not allow family and friends to send in or drop off clothing packages for offenders.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates do not have access to incoming telephone calls, however, telephones are available to inmates to place outgoing collect calls or calls that are billed through Securus. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Connecticut, please click here.

How to Send Money

There are four ways to send money to an inmate at Cheshire Correctional Institution: US Mail, JPAY, Touch Pay, or Western Union. 

By U.S. Mail:

When sending a money order, it is important to have complete and legible remitter information included with the money order. For your convenience, you can download the Inmate Trust Fund Remitter Form and send it with the money order to: 

Inmate Trust Fund
P.O. Box 290800
Wethersfield, CT 06129-0800

If you send a money order, be sure to include the inmate's full name and correctional identification number on the money order. Do not include any correspondence to the inmate. 

You may also fund an inmate's account with a credit or debit card by using the following companies:

JPAY: One Click Payments with JPAY
Touch Pay: www.touchpayonline.com
Western Union: Electronic Deposits (PDF, 94KB)

For Western Union, please remember:

Pay To: Connecticut DOC
Code City: CTDOC
Account: 8-digit Inmate Number and Inmate Last Name.*

* If inmate number is less than 8 digits, add two zeros at the beginning, i.e., 00123456Johnson

If you have any questions, please call 860-692-7670.  Please allow at least 10 working days for money orders to be posted to an inmate's account.

​Programs For ​Inmates

211 Info Line: This is an information line to help callers find information, discover options, and provide assistance with such issues as food, housing, clothing, transportation, substance abuse, domestic violence, childcare, or nearly any other need they may have. The 211 database is utilized by agency-wide staff who work with offenders in discharge planning and community reentry, and referred to in response to public inquiries of community resources.

A Better Way: This discussion based video series looks at life changing behaviors. The ideas addressed include responsibility, decision making, changes, overcoming fear, and dealing with discouragement. In addition, a look at what behaviors can lead into and out of the incarceration cycle is delved into. 

Bridge Group: This class is a component of the Administrative Segregation program. It is designed to (1) review all the concepts taught in the previous classes; (2) afford an opportunity for senior management in the facility to interact with inmates and evaluate program progress; (3) help inmates think about and plan the next step in the three-phase A.S. program. 

Controlling Your Anger: This is the second in a series of groups used in the Administrative Segregation (A.S.) Program. An essential capacity these inmates need to develop is to be able to deal with angry feelings without resorting to violence. This class is designed to help change thinking and attitudes which promote violence and to develop skills to deal with anger without violence. 

How to do your bid: This is a group designed for inmates on Administrative Segregation status. One of the problems which many inmates have in general, and A.S. inmates have in particular, is that they lack the skills necessary for problem solving. 

The first part of this class is designed to help inmates learn that not all problems can be solved and to assist them in approaching problems so as to (1) respond in the best way to the presented problem and (2) not to make the situation worse. 

In the second part of the class, the inmates review a videotape that shows inmates who have completed a restrictive housing program. In that video, the inmates discuss what they believe is necessary in order to, "do your bid." The video serves as a stimulus for inmates to discuss how it is possible to live in a prison environment without getting into trouble. 

Relapse Prevention: This is one of the classes in the Administrative Segregation (A.S.) program. Inmates are placed on A.S. status due to serious behavioral problems such as assaulting staff or other inmates. As the inmates' behavior improves in the program, they enter this class, Relapse Prevention. This class is designed to help inmates understand and avoid relapse.

Anger Management: This program was designed based upon research regarding what works for Anger Management Programs. This 10-week program includes skill building, cognitive techniques, relaxation techniques and role play. In addition, an assessment tool to ensure program fidelity audits this program. This program can be modified for special populations. 

Art Therapy Group: This group is designed to allow offenders the opportunity to express themselves through art in a therapeutic and structured environment. It allows offenders with no developed skills the opportunity to creatively express themselves by using basic art forms (drawing, painting, coloring & tracing).

Auto Detailing: This vocational program provides students with the knowledge and experience required to work in new and used car dealerships and/or automotive detail shops. The program also emphasizes the elements of entrepreneurship equipping students with the knowledge to begin their own automobile detailing business. 

Education: The General Education Development (GED) exam provides qualified offenders the opportunity to participate in the examination process in order to receive a Connecticut State High School Diploma. 

The High School Equivalency Program provides qualified offenders the opportunity to earn the 20 credit hours (120 hours per credit) required to receive a Connecticut High School Diploma. 

Credit Diploma Program (CDP) provides qualified offenders the opportunity to earn the 20 credit hours (50 hours per credit) required to receive a USD #1 Adult Education High School Diploma. 

The External Diploma Program (EDP) provides qualified offenders the opportunity to complete a competency portfolio in order to receive a USD #1 Adult Education High School Diploma.

Pictures of Cheshire Correctional Institution

Careers at Cheshire Correctional Institution

The Connecticut Department of Correction is staffed by a variety of professionals including correction officers, clergy, maintenance, clerical, and counselors. To explore career options within the Department of Correction, click here.