The newest reintegration center in the Connecticut correctional system is housed at York Correctional Institution in Niantic.
It’s the first such facility for female inmates after the state opened a pair of facilities at Cybulski Correctional Institution for males and inmates who are veterans.
The centers are a key part of Gov. Dannel Malloy’s Second Chance Society initatives aimed at providing better resources and opportunities for nonviolent offenders.
Tymesha Byrd is serving her third sentence for larceny. She was convicted of stealing credit card and using it.
"I own what I did” Byrd said. “I'm responsible for what I did but I also know that my yesterday's mistakes is not today's."
Byrd says the two-week old program has already opened to her eyes to skills like better listening as a parent, job training, and personal budgeting that she knows she will need once she’s released from prison. Byrd is up for parole in April.
"It gives me an opportunity to come out much more successful than coming in here."
Gov. Malloy told a group of inmates during his visit that the reintegration center is meant to change outcomes for all inmates, ensuring that they don’t return to prison.
"I think part of what we're trying to do is make reintegration centers is to make your success much more likely and through that program make it easier for employment opportunities to present themselves and also help families recover. That ultimately needs to be part of our mission."
The governor has proposed eliminating bail or misdemeanors and raising the age of a juvenile in the criminal justice system from 17 to 20 as the next phases of his Second Chance Society proposals.
Changes to prisons, and reducing the numbers of facilities and inmates are also paramount.
The governor said Wednesday the conversation is shifting about how these issues should be addressed.
"For the longest time we had it wrong. ‘We're going to lock everybody up forever. We're going to forget that they're there. No job, no housing, can't even apply for a student loan’” Malloy quipped.
“We've got to change that."
