School, Therapy Amid Unrelenting Tension At CT's Juvenile Jail

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-juvenile-jail-20151219-story.html

Clinicians and youth service officers were doing uncomfortable work — trading observations, sharing results of psychological tests, reporting on violations for fighting and disrespect.

In general, staff members at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School, a maximum security correctional center for boys, pull for the kids that come through here. But these are the most troubled teenagers in Connecticut, typically having failed a half-dozen times in juvenile-court programs before landing in the deep end of the system.

Closing Connecticut's Youth Prison Only First Step

http://www.courant.com/opinion/op-ed/hc-op-anderson-closing-connecticut-training-school-1220-20151218-story.html

Governor Dannel P. Malloy plans to close the Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown by July 2018. Legislators on both sides of the aisle have called for an end to our state's youth prison. This is good news for anyone who cares about kids — not to mention public safety or the state budget.

Those of us who have worked to see this day are not celebrating, but rolling up our sleeves. The goal is not only to close the training school. It is to build a juvenile justice system that works even for the most challenging youths.