The "worst of the worse" young criminals could return from state lockups to Stanislaus County under California's projected "trigger cuts," local authorities fear.
Jill Silva, the county's acting chief probation officer, said, "We're not equipped to take them back."
Keeping young inmates in the state's Division of Juvenile Justice could cost the county an extra $2.9 million per year, she said.
Leaders on all levels hoped state revenue would rebound enough to avoid deep trigger cuts in coming weeks, but it wasn't to be. Other losers include community colleges and universities, home care and child care.
The state expects to save $72 million by charging counties $125,000 per year for each young inmate in the state's system. Counties send their most hardened youth, including those sentenced for violent crime and repeat offenders, and retain in local juvenile halls lower-level offenders and those waiting for court dates.
Stanislaus County, whose Probation Department runs Juvenile Hall, has two maximum-security wings with 15 beds each. Crews are building a $22.7 million facility next to the old one, but it won't be done until summer 2013.
Silva said her records show 18 young inmates from this county in state lockups; if all stayed, the county would be charged $2.25 million at a time when local officials face multimillion-dollar deficits of their own.
State authorities claim they're housing 23 from this county, upping the price to nearly $2.9 million. The difference could be additional young inmates tried in adult courts as opposed to juvenile court, Silva said.
Either way, "this could be huge for us," she said. "It would be devastating to our budget if it goes through. It would derail everything we've been doing."
Stanislaus is not alone among small and midsized counties in protesting the state's plans.
Last week, the Chief Probation Officers of California, the California Association of Counties and the California District Attorneys Association sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown saying the fee forces "untenable choices" on counties.
The Division of Juvenile Justice has about 1,100 wards, down from 10,000 several years ago, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
Realignment, which refers to a shift in some responsibility from state prisons and parole to county jails and probation, is eyed warily by local authorities. The state will pay Stanislaus County $6.5 million this fiscal year to compensate, but Sheriff Adam Christianson repeatedly has reserved judgment because a short-term funding plan does not appear secure.
The state also seems poised to give Stanislaus County an $80 million jail construction grant, and is paying most of the cost for the juvenile center under construction. It will add space for 60 teen offenders.
The Fresno Bee contributed to this report.
Bee staff writer Garth Stapley can be reached at gstapley@modbee.com or (209) 578-2390.
RSS
E-Mail
Print
reprint or license
