Psychiatric Care Planning Project Continues

By Andrew Gorosko

The state Department of Correction (DOC) is continuing its planning for consolidating its psychiatric care for state inmates at Garner Correctional Institution, a high-security prison on Nunnawauk Road.

DOC District Administrator Mark Strange told members of the Garner Correctional Institution Public Safety Committee on December 2 that the DOC is working with University of Connecticut medical staffers on planning how the state prison system can best manage its care for psychiatric inmates.

Mr Strange stressed that the planning work is preliminary and that no timetable has been set for its implementation. The planning project is reviewing DOC psychiatric services statewide, including Garner as a component of a state plan, he said. “This whole process is about consolidating our resources,” he said.

When a psychiatric care plan is formulated, DOC officials would explain it to safety committee members, Mr Strange said.

At the safety committee meeting last September 2, DOC officials said that the number of mental health inmates being held at Garner is increasing, in step with the DOC’s plans to consolidate its psychiatric services for state inmates there.

On December 2, Garner held a total of 673 inmates, of whom 283 prisoners are categorized as mental health inmates. Others being held were 203 general population prisoners and 187 inmates who are awaiting trial or awaiting sentencing.

Last September 2, the prison held 271 mental health inmates. Last June 3, it held 198 mental health prisoners.

State Rep Julia Wasserman asked Mr Strange why the DOC has employed UConn’s medical staff for psychiatric care planning, instead of using the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ staffers for such work.

Although mental health inmates are considered “manageable” by prison staffers, their presence creates a “labor-intensive” situation in a facility, requiring much staff attention, according to DOC officials.

DOC Commissioner Theresa Lantz has said she is working to consolidate the DOC’s psychiatric treatment program at Garner, which has been designated as the DOC’s primary psychiatric center.

Last September, Mr Strange told safety committee members that the DOC may shift a “general prisoner” unit from Garner and replace it with a “mental health” unit. Rather than increasing the number of beds at Garner to increase its mental health inmate population, the DOC would make various shifts in the categories of prisoners that are held at Garner.

Garner, which opened in November 1992, is a two-building facility on 118 acres at 50 Nunnawauk Road. The main building contains 245,000 square feet of space and houses all inmates. An adjacent 15,100-square-foot building is used for maintenance. Garner is a Level 4 prison in a prison system in which Level 5 is the highest security rating.

The Public Safety Committee meets quarterly to address public safety issues that arise due to the presence of Garner.