THE PLANTATION UNDER A MICROSCOPE

Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance calls for increased oversight of DCF

Posted on April 11, 2014 | By Jonathan Kantrowitz

• PRINT

Source: Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance (links added)

Case of girl sent to adult prison without charges highlights systemic failure

In the wake of revelations that an abused girl who is not facing any criminal charges is being incarcerated in an adult prison at the request of the Department of Children and Families, the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance is calling for increased oversight of DCF, particularly its juvenile justice activities.

The failure of DCF to provide this girl with effective services, its lack of planning for her future and its decision to incarcerate her as an adult are indicative of a larger, systemic problem that requires urgent attention. A pattern has emerged of DCF locking up a higher percentage of children committed as delinquents because it lacks a robust system of less restrictive options, which are widely acknowledged as better for kids and more likely to promote rehabilitation. This case is particularly startling but sadly in line with what is happening in Connecticut with increasing frequency.

Children within the juvenile justice system need special protection because in many cases they have been committed to DCF due to family neglect or abuse. DCF is essentially their parent and their jailor, giving the department enormous and largely unchecked power in their lives. About half the girls committed as delinquent in the juvenile justice system have open child welfare cases. The child involved is a survivor of traumatic abuse who was removed from her home by DCF at the age of four and is now in the agency’s care.

Though she is not facing any criminal charges, the department successfully petitioned to confine this 16-year-old in either York Correctional Institute or Manson Youth Institute, both facilities run by the Department of Correction for adults. She is currently at York, but may yet be assigned to Manson, a male facility where her safety would be endangered. The transfer order to the adult criminal system is pending, and her lawyers are seeking remedy in federal court.

By Connecticut law, generally only 16-year-olds convicted of A or B felonies are incarcerated in adult facilities. DCF based its request on an obscure law that had not been exercised in 14 years.

The child was proposed for both a male and a female prison because she was born male but identifies as female. She was expelled from an out-of-state facility after allegedly assaulting staff on January 27. By February 4, DCF was petitioning the court to transfer the youth out of its care and into the adult prison system. That brief window of time raises questions about the thoroughness – or even the existence – of an evaluation to plan the best treatment.

DCF has treated the child as both male and female. During this interim she’s been in the Connecticut Juvenile Training School, for boys, and York, for women. But on February 14 – while actively petitioning the court to send the youth to adult prison – Commissioner Joette Katz told a colorful version of the girl’s story to legislators as an example of the kind of girl who would be appropriate for a new locked girls facility DCF was requesting over the strong objections of advocates. DCF got its secure girls facility, but this girl was never admitted to it.

DCF’s use of incarceration for both girls and boys is increasing, despite ample evidence that incarceration is the most expensive and least effective response to delinquency. This is a disturbing trend. Advocates have cited a lack of less-restrictive services, such as community reentry programs, yet the department has concentrated on increasing its capacity to lock up children.

The extremely vulnerable children within the juvenile justice system deserve better than this.

Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance is calling for:

- A committee of stakeholders, convened by the General Assembly, to investigate the treatment of children in the state’s juvenile justice system.
- A mandate that DCF make data more publicly available to increase transparency.
- The input of external stakeholders in the department’s corrective action plan responding to a report by Georgetown University experts that found serious flaws in the juvenile justice system.
- A comprehensive plan for girls in DCF care to prevent them from entering the juvenile justice system and to provide effective services for those who do enter it.

INTOXICATED, INCOMPETENT, AND IN CHARGE ON THE PLANTATION

There are rumors coming out of Connecticut Juvenile Training School about conduct of management. It seems as if some members of CJTS management are coming to work either intoxicated or displaying hangovers from the previous night. One Youth Service Officer commented  "a Unit Leader in building # 5 shows up to work with a nose glowing like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, while staggering up to the cafeteria", especially on Sunday morning.

These revelations about management paints very unflattering portraits of Key Stone Cops management at CJTS. Maybe that is the reason Youth Service Officers report that during weekdays members of the Operations Staff [ OPS ] cannot be found on post in the school. While other supervisors are required to be on post ( helping out ) during school hours, seems as if  OPS and certain Unit Leaders are missing in action. Well, nothing like co-workers being hung over or intoxicated at work. What makes matters even worse, is how these management types run this facility ( badly I might add ), where young men & women are incarcerated. Just last week at the Pueblo Girl's facility resident trouble required on site supervision to quell issues with assaultive female residents. However, the female Assistant Supervisor hired to monitor Pueblo was not on property. Ergo, men from the CJTS facility were summoned -Code Blue- to assist in restoring order. And as a result of being involved in hands on action YSO Kevin Strachen is now the subject of a vindictive witch hunt by management.

This is a story that promises to grow in the future as those that are intoxicated, incompetent, and in charge on the plantation stagger in to work.
John Lee Hooker sang "one Bourbon, one Scotch and one beer."

YOUTH SERVICE OFFICER AND AN INVESTIGATION

Kevin Strachen was involved recently in an incident at the Pueblo Girl's facility in Middletown, CT where assaultive female residents were placed in their rooms. Other Youth Service Officers at Pueblo did not seek to control the situation and issued a distress call named Code Blue, hence Strachen and a Unit Leader responded and dealt with the situation. Now reports are circulating about YSO Strachen being placed on administrative leave -with pay- while Key Stone Cops management investigate some alleged incident. Let me be clear. While placing one resident in her room it seems as if her arm was in the way as the door was being closed. Strachen did not see her arm while closing the room door.

However the real reason management is investigating YSO Strachen has to do with something that occurred in 2010; he was part of a group that filed a class action lawsuit against Connecticut Juvenile Training School / The Department of Children and Families for racial bias. Ergo, DCF /CJTS have been waiting to get the brother all these years-even though the lawsuit has been resolved. More details will be provided later regarding this travesty of justice i.e. the investigation of Kevin Strachen.

Yes indeed, SPRING CLEANING at the DCF Plantation is in effect. People are getting rid of all employees of color considered a threat.

THE PUEBLO GIRLS FACILITY AND CODE BLUE

The call went out at Connecticut Juvenile Training School on April 18, 2015 for Code Blue. The term refers to help that is needed to handle situations that are out of control at either CJTS or the Pueblo Girls Unit next door. The former houses male residents while the latter is designated for girls. Let me not get to far ahead in this narrative because all details of the story are important.

Pueblo Unit officially opened in March 2014 as a locked facility for girls in need of incarceration. Reports from informed sources describe an operation not well planned or carried out in providing adequate services for troubled girls. Take April 18, 2015 as an example of extreme dysfunctional activity at Pueblo by Key Stone Cop management. Several girls decided to not obey staff directives and Code Blue was given; this caused one YSO and Unit Leader from CJTS to answer the distress call. When they reached Pueblo Unit total chaos greeted the eyes of these two men. After several attempts to counsel residents back in their rooms further action was needed. The girls were restrained by Code Blue responders and placed in - supposedly- secure rooms that would lock when doors shut.

Several questions must be asked at this juncture (1) why did staff working at Pueblo not go hands on and place those girls in their rooms ? (2) why is there no supervisor working on site during the weekend at Pueblo Unit ?, (3) if decisions must be made about critical situations is the only recourse to call Code Blue and have Unit Leaders come from CJTS, (4) when the girls were placed in their rooms how did they get out by merely kicking the door ? At least twice these girls departed from their rooms by just kicking doors, which then popped open, (5) sources indicate staff working at the time this incident occurred, were hesitant to go hands on or restrain these girls. Management playing Monday Morning quarterback after incidents occur [ viewing the incident and then disciplining YSOs] makes it difficult to follow policy in situations where girls refuse staff directives.

In the final analysis there are areas of concern at Pueblo Unit that need to be addressed and quickly. Lack of adequate supervision on site during weekends is negligence at best or incompetence at worst.

SPRING CLEANING AT THE PLANTATION ?

The weather is getting warmer, giving everyone a break from all those heavy New England snow storms. People in neighborhoods are opening windows, cleaning rugs outdoors, and essentially conducting spring cleaning. At the Connecticut Juvenile Training School rumors are circulating that another type of spring cleaning might be taking place. Two employees of color at CJTS are being 'dealt with'- possibly- by management. A black Youth Service Officer and Latina clinical worker seem to be in the racial aim of Key Stone Cops management.

The details are continuing to be revealed to this blog writer about racial spring cleaning on the plantation.

More shall be revealed.

LACK OF RELIGIOUS WITNESS ON THE DCF PLANTATION ALLOWS INJUSTICE TO CONTINUE

The religion called Christianity is full of historical figures proclaiming belief in tenets of a supreme deity. There are stories in the Old Testament and New Testament describing how believers in God stood for their beliefs even if it meant they would die or suffer. However, on the DCF Plantation there are employees professing to believe in God, but allow injustice toward their peers, by management rooted in the beliefs of white supremacy.

A case in point are events that unfolded at Connecticut Juvenile Training School with employees of color trying to address issues of racism. Five employees ( 2 women & 3 men ] called the DCF Plantation 5, launched a class action lawsuit in 2010 against CJTS and Department of Children & Families management. When the brave employees tried soliciting help from peers no one wanted to be part of the lawsuit. What is even more revealing is the fact that Christians at CJTS remained silent –at least about the overt & covert racial animus toward people of color. Christians were vocal in the hallways of CJTS during school time, talking about a “risen savior named Jesus.” There were quotations from the New Testament Bible flowing freely from the lips of so called Christians at various times / days. No one however claiming Jesus as Lord or Savior bothered to comment about disproportionate numbers of disciplinary measures aimed at employees of color. Yet on Sunday throughout Greater Hartford these same Christians would go to church and sing “what a mighty God we serve.” At these safe environments within church walls CJTS Christians would stand and “testify” about the glory of God, the virgin birth of Jesus, and how many people repented of sins due to street witnessing.

After all the shouting, dancing, falling on the floor during church service-nobody called attention to grave injustices going on daily at CJTS /DCF Plantation. The silence of Christians while others fought for justice is indeed puzzling. If you follow the teaching of Jesus it stands to reason you will witness when it is safe or when it is unsafe. But closer examination of Christians on the DCF Plantation highlight how far removed these lukewarm believers are from those glorious teachings of a man named Jesus- who actually tried to do something about correcting inequality, greedy tax collectors, bias toward women, and people in positions of power [ Romans ] that abused it.

In conclusion it must be noted that years later there are still struggles over racial animus on the DCF Plantation and Christians are still silent.




First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me

---------Martin Niemoller