Politics & Government

12 First-degree Sex Offenders in Treatment Facility

State says that all steps are being taken to ensure the safety of the community

Twelve of the 24 men now housed in the sex-offender treatment facility in Montville have convictions for first-degree sexual assault, according to the Department of Correction's website.

A year ago, in a meeting with officials from Montville and the office of Gov. Malloy, Department of Correction Commissioner Leo Arnone promised that the facility would not house “the worst of the worst.”

Brian Garnett, spokesman for the DOC, said Monday that there was not necessarily a gulf between what Arnone said then and what has come to pass.

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“Certainly, we are very careful about who is placed there,” Garnett said. “A risk assessment is performed on everyone.

“Most importantly, it is a high-security facility, and there are steps in place to make sure the public is protected from the offenders that are in that facility.”

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IN ADDITION TO THE 12 with first-degree sexual assault convictions, six have convictions for second-degree sexual assault. One has two convictions for first-degree sexual assault.

Of the first-degree sexual assault convictions, five involve victims younger than 13.

Mike Lawlor, undersecretary of Criminal Justice, said Monday that “placement in the Montville facility comes only after a screening process to assess offenders for risk of escape or violence.  Offenders who are deemed at-risk will not be successful at Montville and are not placed there.”

Garnett said today that "the Commissioner's comments regarding the worst of the worst were in the context that we would not place the worst of
the worst in that facility who would pose a threat to the public safety
and that continues to be the case.

"Offenders placed at the January Center by the Department of Correction,
(remember that is only 12 of the 24, the other 12 are placed there by
Probation) are carefully vetted and are reaching the end of their
sentence.  

"They undergo a thorough clinical evaluation which looks at
empirically validated factors to determine not only their risk, but also
their appropriateness for treatment, which will assist in preparing them
for reintegration into society.

"A conviction for a particular crime does not by itself indicate that an
offender is a high risk for re-offending as you would suggest.

"As we have said since the beginning, the facility is safe and secure
and those confined there will not pose a risk to the public safety of
Montville.'

 

THE SEX-OFFENDER REHABILITATION center, which opened in January at 984 Norwich-New London Turnpike, and is known as The January Center, is governed in part by a Memorandum of Understanding between the town and the Department of Correction.

The MOU, which you can read in the photo box that accompanies this story, does not speak to the criminal level of the residents of the facility.

Former Mayor Joe Jaskiewicz, who signed the MOU, said that he was surprised by the conviction levels of the residents of the facility.

Arnone, he said, “is a pretty straightforward guy.”

The facility has “kind of lived up to everything else that we asked,” Jaskiewicz said Monday. “I am surprised.”

The facility, which is experimental, is the first of its kind in the state.

“They wanted to make sure that it didn’t fail ,” Jaskiewicz said. “So you’re not going send the worst of the worst.”

Former Town Council Chairman Donna Jacobson, who fought the facility in rallies and in her position on the council, said, “This was our biggest fear from the get-go.”

“Arnone is a bold-faced liar,” says Dana McFee, who serves on the  current town council and was also on the council under Jacobson.  “I was at the meeting in Hartford when he said those words. In fact, that was one of the reasons that we felt more comfortable about the fact that it was coming. We thought that was a victory in itself.”

Asked about the fact that none of the offenders has a record of convictions for violent crimes, McFee responded,  “Aren’t all sexual offenses violent?”

 

CONNECTICUT'S GENERAL STATUTES describe first-degree sexual assault:

A person commits this crime when he (1) uses or threatens to use force to engage in sexual intercourse (the threat must reasonably cause the victim to fear physical injury), (2) engages in sexual intercourse with someone under age 13 and who is more than two years younger than he is, (3) commits 2nd degree sexual assault while aided by two or more other people actually present, or (4) engages in sexual intercourse with someone mentally incapable of consenting.

 

THE SEX-OFFENDER FACILITY, which is on the grounds of the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center, came to life in 2008, when the legislature ordered the DOC to establish a 24-bed sex treatment facility.

Montville fought the facility on a number of levels, including taking the state to court, a battle which the town ultimately lost. Montville's efforts resulted in the MOU, which promises that:

  • No mention of Montville will be made in connection with the name of the facility
  • The facility will be behind razor wire and not visible from the town
  • No resident of the facility will be allowed off the grounds alone
  • At least three staffers will be present at the facility at all times

Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Facility, and the sex-offender treatment facility, are directly across the Norwich-New London Turnpike from the new Public Safety Building.


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