Father of Michelle Troconis, convicted in Jennifer Dulos case, says CT prison conditions 'inhumane'
- teamsisters74
- Sep 8
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
EAST LYME — There are times when Carlos Troconis and his family fly in from Miami to see his daughter Michelle Troconis, who is serving a 14-year sentence in the disappearance and presumed death of Jennifer Dulos, only to be turned away at the gates of the state's only prison for women because the it is on lockdown, he said.
Lockdowns are not only impacting in-person visits at York Correctional Institution, said Carlos Troconis, a 78-year-old cardiovascular surgeon in Miami. On Aug. 24, the family was scheduled to have a video call with Michelle but that was also canceled due to a lockdown, he said.
"Nothing could have prepared me or my family for the injustice Michelle has suffered through a biased trial and a wrongful sentence," Carlos Troconis said. "But once she was incarcerated, yes, it opened our eyes to realities we had never had to confront before, things that most people on the outside never think about. The poor quality and lack of nutrition in the food, the inadequate medical care, the systematic unjustified lockdowns and the hardship of something as basic as maintaining human connection through visits or even a video call, all of this revealed to us how inhumane and neglected the system is.
"It has been an education in the worst possible way, one that no family should ever have to endure," he continued. "What strikes me is that these conditions affect not only Michelle but every person in that facility. And while we continue to fight for her innocence, I cannot ignore the suffering that this system inflicts daily on countless others."
Michelle Troconis began her incarceration in May 2024 after she was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to commit murder and other charges following a trial earlier that year. She was accused of helping her former boyfriend Fotis Dulos hide evidence in the disappearance and death of his estranged wife Jennifer Dulos, who hasn't been seen since May 24, 2019. The remains of Jennifer Dulos have not been found. She is presumed dead by police and her family.
Michelle Troconis is now appealing her conviction and in a separate litigation has filed a habeas case to overturn her conviction based on inadequate advice from a prior attorney. Both court cases are pending.
Michelle's father was a fixture at the trial and during court proceedings.
Based on her experience and the experience of some of the other women she is incarcerated with, he is calling for better nutrition, more sunlight for female inmates, and fewer lockdowns so that families can remain in contact with their loved ones in prison.
The Troconis family estimates that Michelle has missed about a third of the in-person and video visits they had scheduled in the span of a year due to lockdowns that staff said are connected to security concerns.
"Since Michelle’s incarceration, the frequency and duration of lockdowns at York CI have had a direct impact on her ability to maintain family contact and emotional stability," he said.
In the first 13 months of her incarceration, Carlos Troconis said that 36% of scheduled visits or video calls were "unsuccessful" due to lockdown cancellations. " This represents more than one in three planned opportunities for family contact being lost," Carlos Troconis said.
The family calculated that from January to August, York has been on lockdown for 53 of 235 days.
"The high frequency of lockdowns severely limits inmates’ access to visits, programming, and rehabilitation opportunities," Carlos Troconis said in an email. "Families face repeated frustration, wasted time, efforts, money and emotional distress when visits are canceled unexpectedly. For Michelle specifically, this has compounded the injustice of her wrongful conviction with ongoing psychological punishment. The incidence of lockdowns at York CI is not occasional but systematic, undermining the basic rights and mental health of inmates and their families."
The problem has become so acute that Department of Correction Ombudsman DeVaughn Ward said he is looking into the staff shortages and other issues that are leading to frequent lockdowns at all state prisons. Ward has frequently checked in with a group of male inmates at Cheshire Correctional Institution who have been on a hunger strike for weeks to protest the lockdowns and other conditions they feel need to change.
"He's been a great advocate for things that need to be addressed at York," Ward said of Carlos Troconis.
Ward plans on recommending to the DOC a suggestion from Carlos Troconis that would allow families from out of state to register to still get visits even if the facility is on lockdown. "They have to pay for flights, hotels, a rental car, only to lose thousands because they are turned away," Ward said. "It is a common plight for families with incarcerated loved ones. This isn't a bad idea. They have offered some good ideas of things that I support."
There are also issues with the quality of the food, which consists of too many highly processed meats and not enough fresh fruit and vegetables, Carlos Troconis said. That issue could easily be addressed by York and the DOC starting a farm at the prison, which would also provide job skills for when women are released, he added.
The food is nutritionally deficient, Carlos Troconis said. "They call it slop food," he said.
He also pointed out that women can suffer from vitamin D deficiency, which is connected to osteoporosis and their overall health. The lockdowns are also impacting the health of female inmates since their medical visits, which can take months to request and set up wind up being cancelled at the last minute, he said.
DOC officials said in a statement that their menus comply with U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines and milk is a daily beverage option. "The DOC’s Menus meet or exceed the USDA dietary reference intakes, acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges, and recommended dietary allowances as established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences Engineering, and Medicine," DOC spokesperson Andrius Banevicius said.
The women's prison used to have a large garden with the produce donated to Foodshare, Banevicius said. Due to budget constraints, that garden no longer exists but inmates can work on smaller gardens on the property, he said.
There are "many opportunities" for personal growth at the prison in including vocational, high school, and collegiate classes, according to Banevicius. "One particularly unique course offered at the facility is a braille-writing program, in which students — using braille “typewriters” — create materials for visually impaired individuals," Banevicius said.
Michelle Troconis participates in the Braille-writing program, her father said.
"Additionally, for the past 20 years, women at the facility have had the opportunity to participate in the Justice Dance Performance Project, a combination of dance, text, music, and visual design that culminates in a live performance in front of family and friends," Banevicius said.
The facility and others in the state are placed on varying degrees of lockdown status for the safety and security of the staff and incarcerated population, he added.
But, Carlos Troconis said, the problems facing the prison and other correctional facilities in the state need to be brought to light and resolved. "The showers back up which can cause fungal infections and the heat was very low in the winter," he said. "There are lockdowns for four or five days in a row. It creates isolation and can enhance depression."
He's not just concerned about his daughter, but every woman who is incarcerated at York, he said.
"I want to be an advocate for the prisons," Carlos Troconis said. "I want to humanize the prisons a bit."
By Lisa Backus, Staff Writer
Sep 8, 2025
Staff Writer
Lisa Backus is a local, state and national award-winning crime reporter who covers breaking news and criminal justice policy for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. When she's not working she can be found hanging out with her animal companions Spot and Morgan and her six grandchildren.
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