Sacramento – A Joint Legislative Audit Committee of the California Legislature, chaired by 3rd District Assemblymember Alyson Huber, discussed the impacts of the planned Preston Youth Correctional Facility closure before a crowd of concerned Amador County citizens at the State Capitol last week.
Various other legislators joined Huber to analyze the criteria used by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) officials to determine the closure. A Huber aide said she used the hearing to compel the CDCR to answer questions about how this decision was made and how they will mitigate the impacts of the closure.
At least 100 Amador citizens came in on buses chartered by District 2 Supervisor Richard Forster, who said he had “many reasons” to be there. Forster’s district is home to Preston, and Forster has experienced first-hand changes within the juvenile justice system as a longtime CDCR employee at (VIDEO) Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp in the upcountry.
During public comment, Forster countered a comment by CDCR Undersecretary Steve Kernan, who said part of the reason wards will be incorporated into the O.H. Close and N.A. Chaderjian youth correctional facilities in Stockton was because those facilities had more rooms as opposed to open dormitories.
“We’re not going to be doing the best thing for wards if they live in rooms,” said Forster. “They certainly aren’t going to live in rooms when they go out in society.”
Buena Vista resident Jerry Casessi countered a statement by Kernan about wanting to keep wards close to home and their families, saying he has “yet to see any statistical data that proves that point.” He said that as a former employee of that department, he always thought it beneficial to get wards away from often negative family and living situations.
Sergeant Don Dufraine, a longtime Preston employee, criticized the trend toward putting wards under county, rather than state care. “Counties can’t provide the services that we can,” he said. “Where are the people who care about these youth?”
He said the Stockton facilities have often come to the Preston staff for training on various programs because of Preston’s “reputation” for maintaining a high level of care for its wards.
Ione City Manager Kim Kerr said the closure will have a number of negative impacts on her city. She said Preston contributes to community projects, including an annual golf tournament fundraiser and free cleanup services in and around the downtown creek. She said the city gets vehicle license fees from Preston. She said Preston is on the city seal.
As planned, the closure will take place June 30th, 2011. As many as 400 staff will lose their jobs locally.
Huber clarified at the end of the meeting that the decision to close Preston was not supported by the legislature. She said another community meeting on the matter will be held in Amador County in December.
Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
