150 years of Inspiring Hope
In March 1875, the Prisoner’s Friends’ Society was organized in Hartford, Connecticut, established to reach out to the poor and disenfranchised. The following year, the organization was renamed the Connecticut Prison Association. Nationally, Connecticut was the fifth state in which an association was founded specifically to provide services to people who are in prison.
1800's
Poor Conditions at Connecticut Prisons Sparks Public Interest
1872
Hartford Courant on "The Prison Commission, Report of the General Assembly"
1872
Hartford Courant on "The Prison Commission, Report of the General Assembly"
1875
Prisoner's Friends' Society is Formed
1875
Some of CPA's Early Founders
1875
First Meeting Site
1875
Articles of Association
1876
Name Changes to Connecticut Prison Association
1876
Yale's Francis Wayland Becomes President
1876
CPA's First Agent Serves 34 years
1884
Prison Reform Begins
1901
Indeterminate Sentencing
1903
Statewide Adult Probation Created
1917-1921
Women's Prison Opens and Juvenile Justice Developed
1930
Chief Justice William M. Maltbie Serves as President of CPA
1940's
CPA In-Prison Work Program Supports WWII Effort
1940's-1950's
CPA Spearheads Major Legislative Accomplishments
1960's
CPA Champions the Creation of CT Department of Correction
1960's
Legislative Accomplishments
1970's
CPA Creates Volunteer Sponsor Program
1970's
CPA Introduces New Innovations in Criminal Justice
1981
Alternative to Incarceration Established
1984-1990
CPA's Legislative Accomplishments
1990's
Resettlement (Reentry), A Name Change, and Juvenile Justice Programs Expanded
2000's
CPA Creates State of the Art Complex on Washington St.
2000
CPA Celebrates 125 Years
2010's
50 Years of CPA Leadership
2010's-2020's
Reentry Centers and REGIONS Open, And 150th Year Begins
