The Connecticut Judicial Branch is planning to open a new facility on the grounds of what used to be the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS), which has some juvenile justice advocates calling foul.
In an updated plan released on Friday, outlining working group recommendations for “transferred juvenile custody implementations” the Judicial Branch is seeking a location for new secure juvenile housing. This would be a place to house offenders under 18 years old who are being transferred from the Department of Correction (DOC) to the Connecticut Judicial system, those who are being tried in adult court.
The report outlined a need for adequate space for those juveniles because “anything less is a disservice to all detained juveniles, does not support future youth success, and is not in the interest of public safety.” They also noted that inadequate space could lead to operational and programming problems.
When attempting to find a proper location for this housing, the Working Group settled on the site of the former Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS), which would be “redesigned and renovated” to fit the needs of this new population. The group noted that this was a better choice than others because it would require a smaller investment and represented the only state-owned property that was large enough and ready for renovation.
Only one member of the Working Group voted against using this property. The Connecticut Justice Alliance (CTJA), however, is taking a strong stance against reopening the CJTS facility in any capacity.
The group is concerned about repeating history and that utilizing the former CJTS doesn’t represent improvements to how Connecticut handles juvenile offenders. The CJTS was closed down in 2018 after more than a decade of reports of mismanagement and mistreatment.
“CJTS used traumatizing methods of restraint, limited family time for youth, and did not provide emotional or mental health support to the children,” says CTJA.
Though the plan outlines an entirely rebuilt facility and new programming to help offenders, CTJA leadership is worried that the Working Group isn’t taking into account more recent data on what actually works to rehabilitate minor offenders and falling back on old tactics.
A study from the Harvard Kennedy School and the National Institute of Justice called youth prisons an “inherently flawed model” and said that “maltreatment is endemic” in the system.
“This plan does not represent an authentic change in the youth legal system like the legislation we worked so hard to pass intended,” said Christina Quaranta, CTJA Executive Director, in a statement. “We know that prisons –particularly isolating, large group settings– do not work to rehabilitate children. The idea that the best that Connecticut can do when tasked with rehousing and rehabilitating young people is to house them in a large, 65-bed facility when data shows that small, close-to-home settings work much better, is a shame and a waste of an opportunity to meet the needs of young people and their communities.”
The project is still far from a sure thing, though. The Working Group recommendations only tell the Judicial Branch that it should begin studies on the property to determine the scope and cost of any renovations. The estimated cost of those studies is $1 million, which will take a year and a half to two years to complete.
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