I was also a member of the facilities subcommittee of the Critical Response Team established by statute to develop recommendations regarding construction and programming to be provided in Connecticut s secure facility for juvenile offenders. As you know the Connecticut Juvenile Training School at Long Lane is being constructed to house both boys and girls as required under P.A. 99-26. Although there is a requirement that boys and girls be sound and sight separate, the PCSW does not feel this is the best plan and supports the establishment of a separate bed facility for female juvenile offenders. The current building plan calls for both boys and girls to be housed in one building, separated by a wall. The boys in this section will be pre-release.
Girls develop very differently than boys in adolescence.
They are three times as likely as boys to have experienced sexual abuse, which is often an underlying factor in high-risk behaviors. The federal office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention data indicates that most of girls crimes, even capital crimes, are relational in nature. Their crimes are committed for the sake of, or to please others . Girls are often used as social reinforcement for boys. Research also demonstrates that successful programs are tailored to meet the needs of female juvenile offenders.