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| In Conn. Prisons, A New Attitude |
| By Hartford Courant |
| Published: 06/27/2003 |
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When Theresa Lantz arrived at the New Haven Correctional Center as its new warden, she found a dejected staff, a building covered with gang graffiti, and no grass - only dirt - where the front lawn should have been. So one of her first acts was to get the building repainted and have grass and flowers planted. She said she wanted to send the message that the facility was a good place to work. Now as the newly appointed Connecticut Department of Correction commissioner, Lantz, 48, is trying to accomplish the same goal. She is seeking to boost morale and to improve working conditions within her agency, which has been accused of racism and criticized for ignoring or downplaying a pervasive problem of sexual harassment. Since becoming the state's first female correction commissioner in March, Lantz has replaced almost every department head, and increased the number of women and blacks in top leadership positions. In total, Lantz has filled 22 vacant key positions. The department, which employs about 7,000 and has an annual budget of $538 million, has lost roughly 70 staff members to layoffs and 238 to early retirements. The most significant change has been among the wardens. Within the state's 18 prisons and jails, she has appointed 11 new wardens and reassigned three. 'I wanted to appoint the right person for the right place to carry on our mission,' Lantz said. 'This was a very deliberate process.' Observers in and outside of the agency said Lantz and her new appointments will take the state's prison system in the right direction. 'What we see so far, we like,' said Barbara Potopowitz, a spokeswoman for the state's Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. Potopowitz said she sees Lantz as a warm person who is welcoming of different opinions. 'And I see that as an extension of her top leadership,' Potopowitz said. Potopowitz also credits Lantz with picking internal candidates as deputy commissioners and department directors. Although former Correction Commissioner John Armstrong was a veteran of the department, most of his deputy commissioners were appointed from outside the agency by Gov. John G. Rowland. 'I think that's a good sign,' Potopowitz said. 'It says that as a DOC employee, you are valued for your participation, expertise and hard work. I noticed that the people she appointed, she put them in positions because of their expertise, and that's the way it should be.' State Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, one of the department's staunchest critics, said she too has been impressed with Lantz and her picks. During a recent meeting on sexual harassment with a group of female correction officers, the women mentioned how much more comfortable and safe they felt, Prague said. 'They like going to work,' Prague said. Even representatives of the correction officers union, which had often been at odds with Armstrong, say they support Lantz, and agree with most of her appointments. They say they are remaining cautiously optimistic because Lantz, a Democrat, still answers to Rowland, a Republican, with whom the union has had an antagonistic relationship. 'The unions don't sit that well with him, especially corrections,' said David Moffa, president of one of the local unions that represent correction officers. Still, they say Lantz and many of her appointments are more open and approachable than Armstrong was and that has made solving problems easier. They also credit Lantz and her appointments with talking to union representatives before making significant policy changes. 'She's reaching out to the union and we're reaching out to her,' Moffa said. 'You can talk to her.' Moffa said the union also likes that Lantz is returning responsibility for many key decisions back to wardens and deputy commissioners, and is attempting to confront issues such as sexual harassment, racism and work-place violence. 'We're looking to have a good working relationship with management, which is something we haven't had in some time,' Moffa said. Lantz's appointments also shift the department's philosophy toward a rehabilitative model, which aims to address prison overcrowding by reducing the large number of former inmates returning to prison, a move supported by industry experts. 'If you look at departments of corrections across the nation, they are under increasing budgetary pressures,' said Joe Weedon, manager of governmental affairs for the American Correctional Association. 'So they are all looking at how to do what they do better and more efficiently. And the best way to impact your future expenditures is to make sure that those who leave don't come back.' |
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