'Broken beyond repair'
By ANDY BROMAGE , Journal Register News Service, Middletown Press, 10/01/2004

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NEW HAVEN -- Saying the state's juvenile justice system is broken beyond repair, a city youth group Thursday called on the state to permanently close the troubled Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown.

Youth Rights Media, a community-based juvenile justice group, told a crowd of 40 inside the downtown Off Broadway Theater that the facility is more like a maximum-security prison than rehabilitation center. The facility, which houses 13- to16-year-olds, is too expensive, they said, costing taxpayers more than $500,000 per child per year.

The state should close the $57 million facility and ship incarcerated teenage boys to smaller community rehab centers, the group told the crowd.

"Look at the steps in the juvenile system. It doesn't do anything but lead you up to the adult facility," said Travis Ruffin, 16, a Youth Rights Media member who spent 15 months at CJTS for violation of probation.

Afterward, the group showed the documentary "CTJ$: At What Cost?," a film about the center produced by Youth Rights Media. The film includes footage from security cameras that shows center staff manhandling teenage boys.

Footage of the abuse, made public in June by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and state Child Advocate Jeanne Milstein, brought widespread attention to the state's juvenile justice system and a shakeup at the state Department of Children and Families, which runs the center.

"What we're asking for is a public commitment from politicians to close the facility," said Laura McCargar, Youth Rights Media executive director.

But state officials on both sides of the issue expressed doubts Thursday about the logic of closing the facility permanently.

Blumenthal, a critic of the juvenile justice system, said the facility is grossly inadequate, but said closing it now is not the answer.

"There is a real need for some facility to serve these children and closing it should be only the very last resort," Blumenthal said. "We should explore other options to improve it before taking that kind of step."

Milstein agreed, saying, "We can't just close down the facility and ship all these boys out of state and have them go to places inappropriate to them."

She continued, "We need to see if we can reduce the cost there and over time get as many kids out as possible."

Gary Kleeblatt, a DCF spokesman, said the center has improved in recent months by adding new programs, providing sensitivity training to staff and reducing the number of teens there from 140 to 75.

This summer, DCF closed the center's high security building that formerly housed the most combative juveniles. It also eliminated the use of safety suits and four-point restraints.

"There's been a major overhaul underway," Kleeblatt said.

But Youth Rights Media members say their minds are made up: The center must close.

"We want to see CJTS get stopped before it does any more damage," said Catrenna Burney, 16.

The $57 million juvenile facility, opened in August 2001, is now at the center of a federal corruption case involving the contractor, William Tomasso.

Andy Bromage can be reached at abromage@nhregister.com or (203) 789-5714.

©The Middletown Press 2004