HARTFORD — A Connecticut judge publicly released a video on June 20, 2026, showing correctional officers striking inmate J'Allen Jones multiple times and pepper spraying him before his death in 2018. The video was released by a state judge in Hartford who is overseeing a lawsuit filed by Jones' family against eight officers and a prison nurse.

Jones, a 31-year-old inmate from Atlanta, was serving a 10-year sentence for robbery at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown when he died on March 25, 2018. Correctional officers stripped him naked, put a spit bag over his head, and pepper sprayed him shortly before he died.

The Department of Correction (DOC) had sought to keep the video sealed since 2019, citing security concerns related to the physical layout of the prison and staffing patterns. Jones' family, along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut and local NAACP officials, advocated for the video's public release. Ron Murphy, a lawyer for Jones' family, stated, "The events in the video are as disturbing as the events in the video of George Floyd's death." Murphy added, "But in some ways, the video of J'Allen's death is worse." He also said, "I hope everyone who chooses to watch the video does so with an open heart, remembering that J'Allen Jones was a father and a son and that his family grieves every day." and "I found the video very difficult to watch as it depicts the painful death of another human being."

Correction officers were attempting to transport Jones to a medical unit for treatment of his mental illness when the incident occurred. Court documents indicate Jones was experiencing a schizophrenic episode. Portions of the 52-minute video show Jones handcuffed behind his back and later with his legs shackled. Officers hit his legs and torso with their knees and fists after he refused a strip search. An officer pinned Jones down on a bed with a knee on his back while other officers held him down.

Jones is heard yelling "In the blood of Jesus Christ!" repeatedly in the video and tells officers, "I command you ... to uncuff me now!" Officers can be heard telling Jones numerous times to stop resisting and to calm down, with one officer telling him they were trying to help him.

About 17 minutes into the video, Jones appears to begin having difficulty breathing after the spit bag was placed over his head and he was pepper sprayed. Nearly five minutes later, Jones appears to be unconscious as officers struggle to hold him upright and place him in a wheelchair. At around the 24-minute mark, an officer requests a nurse to evaluate Jones. The officer stated, "Right now he's just being dead weight, and I just want to make sure he's OK."

Approximately 28 minutes into the video, a nurse is seen performing CPR and an officer orders someone over the radio to call 911. An ambulance crew did not arrive at the institution until more than 43 minutes into the video. Jones was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Hours after Jones' death, the DOC issued a statement indicating he had become "non-compliant and combative with staff and then became non-responsive." The medical examiner's office determined the cause of Jones' death was "sudden death during struggle and restraint with chest compression and pepper spray exposure in person with hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease." The medical examiner ruled Jones' death a homicide. However, a state prosecutor investigating the death determined in January 2019 that no crimes were committed.

Sharonda Carlos, interim commissioner of the Department of Correction, stated, "Any loss of life in our facilities is a tragedy that we feel deeply, and our sympathy remains with Mr. Jones' family and loved ones." Carlos appointed a psychiatrist in May to lead the department's inmate medical services.