The closed Juvenile Training School had been under consideration as a shelter
Connecticut Juvenile Training School
Posted inGovernment, Justice
DCF commissioner says old juvenile detention center could humanely shelter migrant kids
Officials say a closed juvenile detention center’s history should not rule out repurposing it as a shelter for migrant children.
Posted inJustice
Scathing report on conditions for imprisoned youth
The Office of the Child Advocate released a scathing report Wednesday morning on the substandard conditions in state facilities for imprisoned and detained youth and called for an overhaul of the system.
Posted inJustice
Juvenile center, ‘costly relic of Rowland era,’ closes
The Connecticut Juvenile Training School — the product of bid-rigging, outdated thinking and poor execution by the administration of Gov. John G. Rowland — closed Thursday as the last three young occupants left the sprawling detention center for home or private residential facilities.
Posted inEducation, Money
Little progress reported on closing the state’s juvenile jail
It’s been more than a year since Gov. Malloy said he would close the state’s controversial jail for juvenile offenders. Legislators received an update this week on where that promise stands – and the administration has yet to recommend an alternative.
Posted inEducation, Justice
DCF pivots to a new strategy to keep juveniles out of jail
The new strategy aims to keep youths – unless they are deemed a risk to the public – out of juvenile jail and in a less-restrictive group home or with their families, with appropriate support services.
Posted inEducation
Closing CT’s juvenile jail: Alternatives in Hamden, Stratford floated
The Department of Children and Families plan to close its controversial jail in Middletown relies on shrinking the pipeline of youths who need to be locked up – and opening a smaller, more therapeutic program, potentially in Hamden or Stratford for youth who still require a secure placement.
Posted inEducation, Justice
DCF envisions a better way to work with incarcerated juveniles
The agency’s concepts offer a preview of what a juvenile justice system might look like after the state closes its controversial jail for juveniles in Middletown.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Restore a common sense plan to Connecticut Juvenile Justice
The CTMirror story Juvenile Justice in CT: “What’s left after all the cuts” rings loudly in the ears of those of us working in the deep end of the system. The Connecticut Juvenile Training School, and the Walter G. Cady School educational component have been forced to operate with insufficient programming for the youth both within and outside the facility.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Time for adult responsibility at Connecticut Juvenile Training School
At the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS), workers compensation claims are soaring, mostly because staff is frequently injured putting youth in physical restraints. The Department of Children and Families and union officials told The Connecticut Mirror that restraints are necessary because youth at the facility are so difficult. They point to recent policies that removed many young people from CJTS, leaving only the most challenging youth at the facility. This reaction is disturbing on several levels and underlines the need to work toward closing CJTS.
Posted inEducation
Barnes: Obstacles abound to closing state’s juvenile jail by 2018
Citing a minefield of obstacles to closing the state’s controversial jail for juvenile offenders, the governor’s budget and policy director said Thursday that previously announced plans to close the Connecticut Juvenile Training School by July 2018 may have to be pushed back significantly.
Posted inJustice
At CT’s juvenile jail, a spike in staff injuries
Updated at 7:30 a.m.
The number of youth incarcerated at the state’s controversial jail for juvenile offenders may have reached a record low, but the number of staff being injured in assaults or while physically restraining residents has shot up.
Posted inEducation, Justice
Juvenile justice reform in CT: 5 things to know
A tidal wave of change is headed for the state’s juvenile justice system. Here are 5 things to know about the coming changes.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CJTS teachers lament ‘inhumanity’ of sudden staff layoffs
The following are three statements made by Connecticut Juvenile Training School employees at last week’s press conference following layoffs of about one third the staff at the facility.
Posted inEducation
Union protests timing, process of layoffs at juvenile jail
Dozens of people gathered outside Connecticut Juvenile Training School Thursday to protest state layoffs that cut about one-third of the facility’s staff last weekend, creating what one union official called a “potentially life-threatening situation” for those still remaining.