No state funds for girls’ jail — for now

Written by Brad Durrell
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 17:18

Efforts to block a girls’ detention center from being built in Bridgeport continue after funding for the project was removed from the State Bonding Commission agenda last week.

“Our message of fairness got through,” said state Rep. Christopher L. Caruso, a Democrat whose district includes the proposed site on Virginia Avenue.

However, he warned the city’s victory may be only temporary.

“It was a great day for Bridgeport, but it’s only the beginning,” said Caruso, who lobbied state officials to oppose the $15.7 million project. “We now have to convince the governor this isn’t the best site for a detention center.”

Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced her support of the Bridgeport site on Oct. 20, which was 10 days before the Bond Commission meeting. Then, at the meeting, the request was unexpectedly withdrawn at Rell’s request by Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, who chaired the meeting in Rell’s absence.

The governor controls the Bond Commission agenda, and almost all items placed on the agenda pass with little opposition.

Rell has called the proposed center a “treatment facility,” but many opponents call it “ a jail for girls.”

Mayor Bill Finch sent a letter to Rell opposing the state bonding request for the project the day before the Bond Commission meeting. “We need to make sure that all options have been explored before this goes any further,” Finch said.

State Sen. Anthony Musto, a Trumbull Democrat whose district also includes the site, originally had sent out a press release supporting the project.

Musto now opposes the proposed facility. “Area residents have expressed concerns to me about how it will affect their neighborhood,” Musto said. “It appears that little, if any, community outreach was done prior to picking this location.”

Caruso, who thanked state officials such as House Speaker Chris Donovan for raising objections, has questioned the process used to select the location.

He said local elected officials such as himself, as well as nearby residents, weren’t properly notified the site was being considered. He said the state Environmental Policy Act requires that certain steps be taken that haven’t been completed.

“The attorney general will look into the process and whether the proper procedure was followed,” Caruso said.

A state document, however, indicates that Finch was told of the site as early as July 2008, and attempts were made with community leaders to arrange a public meeting on the site, and to meet with local legislators.

Site now vacant

The state wants to build the Department of Children and Families facility on a four-acre parcel off Huntington Turnpike, near the intersection with East Main Street.

The property, former home of the Ella Grasso Center that housed services for people who are mentally challenged, is surrounded by residential development, including the Nob Hill Condominiums.

The Grasso Center closed a few years ago and has been demolished, although dirt and debris remains on the property.

The goal is to build a facility where juvenile girls with legal problems could he held and treated outside of an adult prison. A state document described this need as “an expansion of services to high-risk girls who require treatment in the most restrictive settings.”

The state’s last detention facility for girls, Long Lane School in MIddletown, closed in 2002. Since then, young females in legal trouble have been sent to adult prison, small group groups or specialized residential facilities.

Soon in Connecticut, cases involving youth ages 16 to 17 will all be handled in juvenile court and not adult court, based on a new law designed to keep young people from adult prisons and courtrooms.

The proposed 36,000-square-foot facility would have 24 beds, including 16 described as being “secure,” which means they would be in a highly controlled environment, such as in a prison.

State documents describe the proposed facility as being a building “with attractive, welcoming masonry facade.” Most of the structure would be one story tall, with a limited two-story section.

The goal is to create “a friendly and inviting atmosphere” with the design, according to state documents. The entire property will be surrounded by a 6-foot-high fence described as a “wrought-iron-looking picket metal fence.”

No vehicle access will be allowed from Priscilla Street except for fire purposes.

Why site selected

The other possible sites for the facility, all on state-owned property to hold down costs and expedite the project, were in East Windsor, Hamden, Meriden and New Britain.

According to a state document, the Bridgeport site was favored because of highway access, being on a bus route, reasonable travel time to New Haven and Waterbury, and existing infrastructure.

The property could be “easily cleared, had no contamination issues and was flat enough to make for easy construction,” according to state documents.

Caruso said there are questions about whether a new facility is even needed, or if other existing facilities could serve this purpose. “Why do we have to create a new facility in Bridgeport?” he asked, noting a new juvenile courthouse and detention center just opened downtown.

Caruso said the project would be extremely close to existing homes. “This is a densely developed neighborhood,” he said.

Musto, an attorney who co-chairs the Legislature’s Children Committee, said the state has “a pressing need” for a girls’ detention center so young females don’t end up in adult prison.

“In the end, it will be up to the governor alone to determine the location of the facility,” Musto said. “But the concerns of the community must be fully addressed before this project proceeds any further.”

It’s uncertain when the State Bond Commission will meet again and if Rell will place the item back on the agenda.

Rell has pledged o build a new girls’ detention center since 2006, when she mentioned the need for it in her State of the State address.