Elderly Residents Told That Garner Prison Is Secure

By Andrew Gorosko

State and town officials have assured residents at the Nunnawauk Meadows elderly housing complex at 3 Nunnawauk Road that the nearby Garner Correctional Institution at 50 Nunnawauk Road is a well-run high-security state prison.

Those officials added that in the event that a prison emergency that has a bearing on public safety should occur, contingency plans are ready to be put in force to protect the public.

Garner Warden Scott Semple, Police Chief Michael Kehoe, and First Selectman Pat Llodra spoke at the recent question-and-answer session held at the 134-unit rental housing complex. John Aurelia, Sr, who heads the Legislative Council’s public safety subcommittee, also attended.

Mrs Llodra said that a recent newspaper article on the workings of the prison heightened public interest in the subject.

Mrs Llodra described Garner as a “good neighbor” to the town. During the prison’s origins in the late 1980s, however, the proposed construction of Garner was a controversial plan that drew stiff public opposition.

The 245,000-square-foot facility, which typically houses about 600 male inmates, currently serves as the state Department of Correction’s (DOC) primary prison for inmates with serious mental health issues.

A large majority of Garner’s inmates are categorized as mental health inmates. The prison also holds inmates who are awaiting trial on pending criminal charges.

“Garner is essentially right down the street,” Mrs Llodra observed.

In a straight line, the driveway entrance for the prison lies about 400 feet from the eastern edge of the 65-acre Nunnawauk Meadows complex. In road distance, the prison driveway entrance lies about 750 feet from Nunnawauk Meadows’ nearest driveway entrance.

Warden Semple explained that the prison’s public safety standards are very high, adding that there is thorough monitoring of the facility’s interior and exterior.

The warden explained that a small number of nonviolent offenders incarcerated at Garner who are nearing the end of their prison terms perform various work outside the prison under the supervision of correction officers.

“Our commitment is to the public. You are our priority,” Warden Semple told the several dozen Nunnawauk Meadows residents in attendance.

The DOC will keep local public officials aware of any prison emergencies that may occur, he said, adding that the DOC strives for public safety.

Warden Semple said that he drives past Nunnawauk Meadows daily and thinks about the public safety aspects of operating the prison nearby. He offered to provide tours of Garner to those interested in visiting the facility.

When the prison opened in 1992, the town was not happy about its presence, he said. “I know how important it is that we run a smooth facility,” he said.

Chief Kehoe told the Nunnawauk Meadows residents that town police have various policies that they would follow in the event that incidents at Garner pose public safety issues. Town police communicate with DOC officials, he noted.

To formalize such lines of communication, an ad hoc group known as the Public Safety Committee for Garner Correctional Institution meets quarterly to address public safety issues posed by the prison’s presence. As first selectman, Mrs Llodra is the public safety panel’s chairman.

Mrs Llodra explained that when inmates are being released from Garner after serving their sentences, they are not directly released into Newtown.

When an inmate is slated for release from Garner, the DOC makes arrangements for his return home, Warden Semple said.

“We will not release anyone directly from the facility into [the Newtown] community,” he said. Currently, no Garner inmates happen to have homes in Newtown to which they would return after leaving Garner, he noted.

Also, DOC officials seek to help inmates prepare for their release from prison and for readjustment to society, Warden Semple said.

Chief Kehoe noted that when prisoners who have homes located in Newtown are released from prisons elsewhere in the state, town police are notified by DOC officials that those people are returning to Newtown. Police then generally seek to monitor those people’s activities, he said.

 

Warning Systems

Chief Kehoe said that technical warning systems exist locally in the event that people want to be informed about prison emergencies at Garner.

Those systems include the prison’s notification system, as well as the town’s Code Red system. The systems place automated telephone calls to people who are enrolled on a designated list for calls about emergencies.

One Nunnawauk Meadows resident expressed concerns about not having received routine test messages on the prison’s emergency notification system. Warden Semple responded that he would research that issue.

 Chief Kehoe said that a third emergency notification for residents will become available in the near future. It is known by the name “Evergreen” and would function as a Reverse-911 system, he said.

Of Garner’s operation, Chief Kehoe said, “We haven’t had any serious [prison] incidents in a long, long time and I don’t expect any.”

One Nunnawauk Meadows resident asked how extensively town police make patrols within the boundaries of the elderly housing complex.

Police patrol within “sensitive areas” such as the housing complex after dark, he said, adding that residents should call police in the event that they have a problem or see something suspicious occurring.

Mrs Llodra urged that residents contact police as soon as they spot something suspicious.

“You are the best eyes and ears of your community…We rely on you,” she said. Residents should not become involved in suspicious situations, but should call 911 when necessary, she said.

Chief Kehoe suggested that Nunnawauk Meadows residents form a Neighborhood Watch for their community. In such programs, the residents of a neighborhood agree to watch out for other residents’ interests and agree to notify police of any suspicious activity that they observe. The town police department has a crime prevention unit that coordinates such programs.

Frank DeLucia, executive director of Newtown Housing for The Elderly, Inc, noted that much resident turnover occurs at Nunnawauk Meadows. He urged that a brochure on public safety issues be produced for residents’ use.

Although local residents apparently have grown accustomed to Garner’s presence, that was not always the case.

The prison opened in November 1992. Garner experienced inmate riots in April and in September of 1993.

Also, in August 1993, two inmates escaped from Garner in the nighttime. One man was quickly captured after he had injured his leg following his jumping from the prison roof. The other man, however, eluded police for two weeks as he went on a crime spree before eventually being captured in New Haven.

Garner is a Level 4 prison in a state prison system in which the highest security is Level 5.