Ashad Hajela
Investigative Reporter, Tow Fellow for Race, Youth & JusticeAshad Hajela is CT Public's Tow Fellow for Race, Youth and Justice with Connecticut Public's Accountability Project. He can be reached at ahajela@ctpublic.org.
He was previously a Report for America corps member at Spotlight PA State College, where he wrote about rural affairs. Prior to that, he covered public safety at The News & Observer in Raleigh, NC.
Ashad was a Stabile Fellow at Columbia Journalism School and attended New York University. He now calls New Haven home.
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Local officials determine whether a child goes to court, or to a diversionary program, presenting opportunities for bias to influence the outcome. -
The programs give kids who face criminal charges mentorship and structure to help them get back on track, and avoid harsher consequences they might face in court. -
Miguel Cardona visited the Middlesex campus of CT State Community College to celebrate the initiative, a partnership between Wesleyan University, the state community college system and the Connecticut Department of Correction. -
Some departments are investing in new testing machines that reduce the time it takes to analyze DNA evidence from weeks to just a couple of hours. -
More police departments in the state are using rapid DNA testing machines, which reduce the time it takes to test evidence. -
Prison reform groups say the move to renovate and reopen the Middletown facility shows a disregard for the lives of incarcerated youth. -
The ombudsman will serve as an independent watchdog for the state correctional system. -
According to court documents, two corrections officers are accused of punching an incarcerated person who refused to comply with their orders. A third allegedly kicked the man while he was on the floor. -
Educational programs help people transition out of prison and find work. But educational attainment in Connecticut prisons has dropped. -
Educational attainment in the state prison system has dropped sharply in recent years. Fewer people are getting high school diplomas, finishing vocational programs or enrolling in classes offered through the prison school system.
