Kenny Bogan said he was spending his life "in the streets" with
the wrong crowd and was soon arrested and jailed on a narcotics charge.
But, after languishing for six weeks at the Bridgeport Correctional Center awaiting trial, Bogan got his lucky break: a chance to enter the Jail Re-Interview Transitional Residential Center (JRI) in New Haven .
It was Bogan’s escape from jail and from a possible prison sentence. The new program literally turned his life around.
Asked what would have happened to him without JRI, Bogan said, "I’d probably have gotten murdered."
There are 22 other young men like Bogan living at the center at 48 Howe St. , the former site of the YMCA. Until they got that JRI lifeline, all of them were awaiting trial on charges of committing non-violent crimes. All of them were in trouble and seemingly headed for more.
The center, located in the basement of the building, includes a classroom, computer room, TV lounge, meeting areas and residential units. During a recent early-afternoon tour, residents were playing computer games or watching TV.
Earlier that day they had been in the classroom, many of them studying for their GED High School Equivalency Diploma Test.
Throughout the corridors are posted inspirational sayings collected by staffers. Here’s one from author Ben Irwin: "Most of us spend our lives as if we had another one in the bank."
Lester "Jake" Villeneuve, who directs JRI and two related programs in the same building, said, "We don’t have a ‘lock ’em up and throw away the key’ philosophy here. Rehabilitation efforts can reduce crime."
Villeneuve, a former social worker for the state Department of Correction, said treatment services for inmates with mental health issues are too limited in the prison system.
"The cycle goes on," Villeneuve said. He noted that about 70 percent of discharged inmates wind up back in prison within three years.
He and Lynn Redcay, JRI’s vocational counselor, closely monitor the residents to make sure they are doing their classroom work and preparing to re-enter society by applying to college or for jobs.
The staffers are employed by the Connection Inc., a private nonprofit group using state funds and charitable contributions to treat people in need.
Bogan said when he came to JRI, "I didn’t know math too good." But then he nodded toward his co-residents, Ramon Berrios and Rob Girard. "They’re good tutors for me."
Bogan is planning to go to school and get training to become a certified nurse assistant. He said he is engaged to a woman and that she and their three kids are waiting for him to return to their New Haven apartment.
"I thank God for getting me into this program," Bogan said. "It showed me He wants me to become someone."
Berrios and Girard are also eager to return to their hometowns. The minimum stay at JRI is 90 days.
When asked how he had gotten in trouble, Berrios, 32, of Seymour , said he couldn’t remember many details because he had been so addicted to drugs.
"I was high one day at home," he said. "I don’t know what happened. The police came and I was arrested for drug possession and risk of injury to minors. My kids were in the house." (The youngest is 10 months old.)
But Berrios will be starting computer science courses at Gateway Community College next month and will soon return to his wife, kids and his carpenter’s job.
Berrios endured two months in jail, and said, "Jail is just incarceration, not rehabilitation. Here, they keep you motivated to became a productive citizen."
Until he came to JRI, Berrios said, "I didn’t know I had a drug problem. I thought I had it under control. But drug abuse is a disease. This place helps you deal with that."
Girard, 21, of Newtown , said, "If there were more programs like this, there’d be fewer people in the streets and more people in school."
Girard landed in jail after being arrested on a narcotics possession charge. Now that he’s been given a chance by JRI, he has applied to Housatonic Community College and is talking about fulfilling his dream of owning a restaurant.
If it hadn’t been for JRI, Girard said, "I probably would’ve gotten at least two years in prison. All I would’ve learned was how to be a better criminal."
By Randall
Beach New Haven Register 8-15-04
