By Christopher Keating
The Hartford Courant
HARTFORD, Conn. — When James E. Dzurenda got a job as a prison guard in Bridgeport more than 25 years ago, he figured it would be a short-term gig while he was in college.
He certainly never expected to stay there.
On Tuesday, Dzurenda was named by Gov. Dannel Malloy as the $160,000-per-year commissioner of all prisons statewide.
“When I first started, I was going to school and getting an education at the time, and never even thought I would even continue my career in corrections,’' Dzurenda told reporters at the state Capitol in Hartford. “But obviously, it’s a great opportunity that I was given, and I’m happy to be here and couldn’t have done it better.’'
Since joining the department in 1987, Dzurenda has served under numerous wardens, commissioners and governors.
“What happens in corrections, as you keep getting more experience in the department, you start seeing opportunities that are open more and more for you to succeed and advance in the department,’' he said. “You start advancing, and you get to that point where you can’t turn around and come back. So you stick with it, and you know that eventually you can make a real good career, that you can be there forever. I plan on being around for a long time.’'
Dzurenda, now 47, started at the Bridgeport Correctional Center and worked in the oldest part of the prison, which was known simply as the “Old Center.’' That was the location of an infamous fire at the North Avenue jail in 1990.
“I was one of the first responders into the fire, evacuating inmates out,’' Dzurenda recalled Tuesday.
Based on the extensive fire damage, that section of the building was demolished — although the rest of the center remains open with more than 800 inmates.
A Stratford resident, Dzurenda has been serving as the acting commissioner since April following the retirement of Commissioner Leo Arnone. He will continue in that role until his formal confirmation by the legislature during the 2014 session, which begins in February.
Knowing that most prisoners eventually get released back into society, Dzurenda said one of his priorities is making sure that crimes are not repeated.
“I do the best I can to do research on offender accountability with programs that actually work and releasing offenders back into the community that have the appropriate resources so that they succeed,’' he said. “If they succeed, that means there’s going to be less victimization out in the community, and it also means that there will be less offenders returning to the Department of Correction.’'
Dzurenda was chosen following a nationwide search, and he was picked over two out-of-state finalists who had come to Malloy’s attention.
“His commitment to honoring the rights of crime victims and his commitment to making sure that high-risk offenders receive the proper oversight and interventions are critical to me as we continue our efforts to reduce recidivism and lower crime,’' Malloy said.
Over the past seven months, Malloy has come to know Dzurenda personally as they have discussed prison issues.
“I’ve enjoyed working with the acting commissioner,’' Malloy told reporters. “I think he’s done a great job in the intervening months. There were two extremely attractive candidates that I also interviewed as the three finalists. I was drawn to their applications for this job. Each of those had strengths as well. In the new commissioner, we had the right skill set and the right experience for Connecticut, so I felt confident to make the decision at this time.’'
Following several promotions within the department, Dzurenda was named in 2009 as the South District administrator, a position in which he was responsible for overseeing administrative operations at eight prisons. In 2010, under then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell, he was named deputy commissioner of operations, which involved overseeing custody of inmates at 15 prisons.