15 February—For some time, several tentacles of the slimy Lamont administration have been in the process of stealthily and (of course) arrogantly foisting a new juvenile detention center on Tolland. For those unacquainted with Connecticut geography, the town of Tolland is in the county of Tolland in the state’s celebrated Quiet Corner. Tolland doesn’t want the juvie resort plopped on its main drag near a couple of daycare facilities, to say the least.

As Tolland town manager Brian Foley put it, “While some may characterize our residents’ concerns as classic NIMBY-ism [“Not In My Backyard”], one could argue that this is not our backyard—it’s our front yard. This property sits on our main thoroughfare within our primary business district corridor.”

Nobody from Tolland—except perhaps the potential juvie resort site’s current owners and agents—had even been aware of the state’s typically underhanded machinations, all held in executive sessions, which aren’t illegal under Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act in the case of many real estate transactions. To add to the concern and chagrin, the state has a nondisclosure agreement with the seller, which is not customary, at the very least.

Why?

The state’s judicial department is one of the parties to the coercive land deal and Connecticut Supreme Court Associate Justice Joan Alexander is the Chief Court Administrator. She regretted “that lines of communication with all stakeholders were not as strong as we would have wished,” and then predictably passes the buck to the “many stakeholders in state government” involved in property purchases. [“Stakeholder” has become a very popular and overused word in bureaucratic jargon.]

The deal between the state and the property owner hasn’t been finalized yet. Or maybe it has. Depending which state agency you ask. Is that a part of the nondisclosure agreement?

So Connecticut wants to build another juvie spa. Because that’s pretty much what juvenile detention centers are in Connecticut, prep schools with doors locked at night. Juvenile delinquents have it pretty good in this state. And as time passes, the age to qualify as a juvenile keeps going up. In most cases 18-year-olds can avoid serious consequences for non-capital crimes.

And, believe it or not, there’s a move afoot to expand so-called “emerging adult” protections to people up to age 25. No kidding. Emerging adult at 25?! Sure, it’s Connecticut and you expect all criminals to be mollycoddled here and juvies to be treated like infants who can’t be held responsible for committing crimes. But if a person hasn’t emerged from a juvenile or adolescent cocoon well before 25, it just ain’t gonna happen. Not that Ned Lamont or social workers care . . .