Deadly Methadone Mistakes in Connecticut Prisons Highlight Systemic Neglect

Two tragic deaths exposed a stark failure within Connecticut’s prison medical system, revealing how dangerous medical errors claimed the lives of Ronald Johnson and Tyler Cole while incarcerated at Garner Correctional Institution. Both men succumbed to the lethal combination of methadone and other sedative medications after being prescribed doses too high for their risk level, with increases administered far too rapidly.When Bureaucracy Risks American Lives Behind BarsThe Connecticut Office of the Inspector General’s investigation uncovers an unsettling pattern: despite clear guidelines cautioning against aggressive methadone dosing—especially in high-risk patients taking antipsychotics or sedatives—the Department of Correction’s practices ignored these warnings....