Dismantling Middletown’s Dark Past: A Tumultuous History of Juvenile Incarceration and the Future of the CJTS
By: Carolyn Neugarten via The Wesleyan Argus The remains of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS), a jarring ring of six cement and brick buildings, lie among the rows of pale yellow and blue houses situated along Middletown’s Silver Street. Accounts of inhumane use of solitary confinement and chemical agents on juvenile offenders, untrained staff, […]
Activists vow to protect bail reform and close Rikers Island at Manhattan rally
By: Gabriele Holtermann via AMNY On the last day of Black History Month, around 40 protestors gathered outside Governor Kathy Hochul’s Manhattan office, demanding the governor lay off her proposed bail reform rollback. Simultaneously, they also called for the permanent closure of Rikers Island. As part of the current NY State budget negotiations, Hochul suggested […]
Protesters gather at former CT Juvenile Training School, calling for state to ‘bulldoze’ building
By: Cassandra Day via The MiddleTown Press MIDDLETOWN — About 25 people gathered at the now closed Connecticut Juvenile Training School on River Road to protest against any school being located at the site of the former state-run prison for boys, calling for the building to be knocked down. The facility was closed in 2018. The issue came […]
Advocates want Middletown youth prison kept closed amid talks to reopen as a charter school
By: Molly Ingram via WSHU Public Radio Connecticut advocates want a former youth prison in Middletown to be demolished. They say children at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School, which closed in 2018, were subjected to neglect and abuse. The state has considered repurposing the building multiple times. Most recently, Capital Preparatory submitted an application to […]
Capital Prep Charter School Middletown decides against ex-juvenile detention center location
By: Cassandra Day via The Middletown Press MIDDLETOWN — The group behind a proposed Capital Preparatory Middletown Charter School said Friday it will no longer pursue the idea of building a facility at the former state-run Connecticut Juvenile Training School, a location that members of the public opposed. “We are sensitive to the fact that there are […]
First Rikers detainee dies in 2023
By: Tandy Lau via Amsterdam News Marvin Pines is the first person to die in Department of Corrections (DOC) custody this year. The 65-year-old was pronounced dead at the North Infirmary Command (NIC) on Rikers Island this past Saturday, Feb. 4, at around 6:18 a.m. “Any death in custody is a tragedy,” said DOC Commissioner […]
WHY DID CITY COUNCIL AGAIN CANCEL OVERSIGHT HEARING ON VIOLENT NYPD SRG GROUP?
BY: ACLU via Black Star News NEW YORK CITY – Monday morning, the NYCLU, advocates and elected officials rallied outside of City Hall demanding transparency and accountability from the NYPD Strategic Response Group (SRG). The City Council has again cancelled what would have been first-ever oversight hearing on the unit, following months of advocacy from […]
CT’s largest prison facility was quietly locked down amid COVID spike: ‘It takes a toll’
By: Alex Putterman via CT Insider COVID-19 cases in Connecticut prisons have spiked this winter, Department of Correction data shows, resulting in a multi-week lockdown at the state’s largest facility. According to data provided by the department, 657 DOC employees and more than 700 incarcerated people statewide have tested positive for COVID since the start […]
Willard facility slated to close as prison population declines
By: Jaden Edison via The CT Mirror The state will close Willard Correctional Institution in Enfield by April 1, officials said Tuesday, making the prison the third in the last two years to cease operations. With its closure, Willard will join Radgowski Correctional Center and Northern Correctional Institution on the list of state correctional facilities that have shuttered operations […]
Correctional facility in Enfield slated to close this spring, state officials say
By: Caroline Tien via CT Insider ENFIELD — One of the state’s 20 correctional institutions will shut down this spring as the prison population continues to drop. The Willard Correctional Institution at 391 Shaker Road in Enfield is scheduled to close its doors by April 1, according to a statement released by the Office of Gov. Ned […]
