Date: Fri 05-Feb-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Garner-Giovanny-Gomez

Full Text:

Garner Gets A New Warden

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

The state Department of Correction (DOC) has named Giovanny Gomez as the new

warden at Garner Correctional Institution, the high-security prison on

Nunnawauk Road.

Mr Gomez, 43, began work as Garner's warden Monday. He replaces former Garner

warden Remi Acosta who the DOC has assigned as warden of the New Haven

Correctional Center.

Gomez is the third warden for Garner, which opened in November 1992. Frank

Crose was the prison's first warden. Acosta replaced Crose in 1996.

Mr Gomez, who has worked for the DOC for more than 14 years, formerly worked

for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and as a correction officer in the military.

He has 24 years experience in corrections.

Before coming to Garner, Mr Gomez served as warden at Northern Correctional

Center in Somers, the DOC's highest-security prison which is commonly known as

"supermax."

"It's somewhat different than my previous assignment," Mr Gomez said of his

posting to Garner.

Garner is a much larger prison which houses medium- to high-security

prisoners. Garner typically contains more than 700 male inmates.

DOC uses Garner for is "close custody" program in which gang leaders are

segregated from the general prison population as a security measure.

"I'm basically a rank-and-file guy," Mr Gomez said, noting that he worked his

way up the ranks in DOC from correction officer to warden.

The goal of running a facility such as Garner is to manage inmates as

effectively as possible, he said. He termed Garner an excellent prison which

has developed a national reputation for its "close custody" inmate control

program.

"I don't see where I need to make a lot of changes. It has become the model

for the nation," he said. But programs will be reviewed to learn how

improvements can be made, he said.

Mr Gomez said he wants to keep Garner operating as effectively as it has in

the past. The warden said he looks forward to working with members of the

community and the Newtown Public Safety Committee.