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July 20, 2006
CT: Govenor akes Heat on Juvenile Justice
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctjuvjustice0720.artjul20,0,472838.story?coll=hc-headlines-local
Rell Takes Heat On Juvenile Justice
State Workers Critical Of Leadership, Vision
By COLIN POITRAS
Courant Staff Writer
July 20 2006
NEW BRITAIN -- State employees criticized Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Wednesday, saying she has consistently lacked leadership and vision in dealing with juvenile justice programs, particularly the troublesome Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown.
With the training school scheduled to close in 24 months, union leaders representing hundreds of training school employees used an afternoon press conference to urge Rell to develop more programs, hire more staff and expand community services to help juvenile delinquents.
The workers - members of Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Connecticut State Employees Association - awarded Rell a juvenile justice "report card" full of F's to highlight their concerns. Rell failed when it came to leadership, programs, communication and vision, the workers said.
"We don't have anybody right now who is actively doing something for our kids," said Paula Dillon, a training school teacher. "We believe a lot more could be done."
Rell's office issued a statement defending her record. In the statement, Rell supports the hard work juvenile justice workers have done during the difficult period of transition. Rell reiterated that the training school, which housed 106 boys on Wednesday, should close and be replaced by smaller, more local detention centers that can help ease the boys' return home.
Rell and state juvenile justice officials pointed out that a new counseling and support program, designed to help youths do better in local schools after leaving the training school, will begin in Hartford next month. Other community programs are also in the works, they said.
Union leaders have complained that they have not been involved in planning juvenile justice changes since the former Long Lane School closed five years ago and the new training school opened. Staff members have repeatedly expressed their frustration through protests, press conferences and several votes of no-confidence in top administrators, the latest targeting Donald DeVore, the head of juvenile justice at the Department of Children and Families.
Union leaders said many of the changes touted by DeVore, Rell and others are not living up to expectations. For instance, they said that a new Boys & Girls Club at the training school is providing more recreation and leisure time than the counseling and support that was promised. Training School Superintendent John Dixon defended the program, saying it is meeting its objectives.
Union leaders again expressed frustration over staffing. They said one-third of the training school's teachers have left for other jobs or personal reasons in recent months, yet 15 jobs remain unfilled, putting stress on the staff and making it more difficult to help children.
Joanna James, another teacher at the school, warned that the lack of proper staff and programs increases the chances that young offenders will get into more trouble after they return home and will return to the expensive, high-security training school - where it costs taxpayers more than $500,000 a year to house a single child.
"We need a better educational transition," said James, a union representative.
Union leaders worry that boys at the training school will be cast adrift when the facility closes, as happened to juvenile girls when Long Lane closed. DeVore said much better planning has been done this time around and those pitfalls should be avoided.
Contact Colin Poitras at cpoitras@courant.com.
Copyright 2006, Hartford Courant
Posted by lois at July 20, 2006 05:29 PM