Governor Rell: State Moving Ahead with Plans

To Build DCF Treatment Facility for Girls

$15 Million in Bonding To Be Approved

October 30 for Bridgeport Facility

            Governor M. Jodi Rell announced today $15 million in bond funds for the design and construction of a secure juvenile treatment center for girls is expected to be approved when the State Bond Commission meets October 30.

            The 36,000-square-foot center will be built in Bridgeport and accommodate girls 18 years old or younger, who have been convicted of a delinquent offense. The state’s last secure facility for girls, Long Lane School in Middletown, closed in 2002.

            “This population of young women has some of the most challenging and urgent needs in our state and a gender specific facility can make all the difference in changing a life and putting a young person on the right path,” Governor Rell said. “They have seen more than their share of setbacks in their young lives. This facility can give them hope and the help they need for a new start.”

            In addition to counseling, the new center will provide educational and vocational programs to help the young women successfully transition back into their communities.

            The Governor said the new treatment facility is especially necessary as Connecticut's juvenile justice system prepares for the impact of the "change the age" legislation, which expands the age of jurisdiction to age 16 effective January 1, 2010 and to age 17 effective July 1, 2012. It is expected that the number of particularly challenging girls in the juvenile justice system will at least double under this change.

The facility will be relatively small, with 16 secure beds and 8 beds for girls transitioning from the secure center back to community residential facilities. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has worked with the advocacy community to design the facility and the program exclusively to meet the specific needs of girls.