Corrigan-Radgowski Prisoners Fix Roof At Montville Animal Shelter

Kyle Neri this week was the world’s happiest roofer.

Neri, who is a prisoner at Montville’s Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center, and two other inmates spent the week replacing the roof at the Montville Animal Shelter. Their efforts probably saved the town more than $3,000 in labor, and it is much better than sitting inside a cell being unproductive all day, he said.

“I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning,” Neri said, saying he was so excited he couldn’t sleep. “It feels good to get out and give back.”

The animals appreciate it too. Now, they are dry inside their temporary home, according to Montville Animal Control Officer Chris Martel.

“It means their roof isn’t leaking any more,” Martel said. “And it saves taxpayers a lot of money.”

The Program

There were three inmates who helped redo the roof at the animal shelter, according to Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Officer Joe Schoonmaker. Overall, there are about ten to 12 prisoners who are used for this type of work, he said.

The prisoners are given power tools, hammers and a variety of other potential weapons, so they are screened carefully, he said. No violent criminals are taken, no sex offenders are taken and only prisoners who have behaved while they've been in jail are taken, Schoonmaker said.

Schoonmaker and fellow correctional officer Jessie Long, who has a background in construction, lead the group. The prisoners have done a lot of work in the area, such as digging out fire hydrants in Montville after the February snowstorm, repainting the Waterford Police Department last year and cutting wood that is given to needy Montville families each winter, he said.

The goal of these programs is to increase the chance of these guys getting jobs when they get out, Schoonmaker said. Also, the more productive the prisoners are, the less chance they have of hurting each other, he said.

“Everybody wants people to have them sit in a room, cornered off from everybody by themselves, but that doesn’t work,” Schoonmaker said. “If we have a bunch of (ticked) off guys, it isn't going to be easy on us, and it is going to put us in danger… These guys aren’t going to fight today.”