Computer issue exposed employee information at Niantic women's prison
Computer files containing current and previous employee information temporarily were accessible by staff members on computer terminals at the Janet S. York Correctional Institution earlier this week.
The exposure occurred during an electronic file merge, according to a department spokesman, and was quickly identified and corrected by the agency's management information systems unit.
"The department is continuing to investigate the matter," said a statement released Wednesday by Karen Martucci, director of the Department of Correction's external affairs division. "It is important to note that only staff of the York facility have access to the information on the facility's computer network. At no time did inmates or members of the general public have access to the computer files. The protection of sensitive material is a very serious matter, and although the oversight has been corrected, the agency is taking steps to prevent this type of incident from happening again."
Walter L. Edwards III of Niantic, who retired from the Department of Correction in 2012 said he contacted legislators and the office of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy after prison employees called him Tuesday and "spit my information back to me." He said the information that accidentally was uploaded included employees' whole or partial Social Security numbers, emergency contact information and medications.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.