Launching a New Juvenile Hall for Yolo County: A Success Story
By Dave Rosenberg, Yolo County Supervisor, 4th District
The need for a new juvenile hall in Yolo County seemed apparent to everyone. The courts, probation officers, county supervisors, grand juries. Everyone knew that the current juvenile hall was a problem and it was just going to get worse.The current juvenile hall is grossly overcrowded. It's a facility meant to accommodate 30 kids, but on average it houses 37 and it often has population spikes of 50 or more. It was built many years ago in an outmoded "linear" design, requiring many more staff to supervise the wards than the more modern designs for detention facilities. It is inefficient, expensive to operate, and unsafe. If not for "grand-fathering", the current facility would not meet the requirements of Title 15, 19 and 24 of federal law. There isn't even a dedicated intake space, and kids who are booked into the facility must sit in an exposed area in the lobby. The laundry is undersized, the HVAC system is not energy efficient, and the generator doesn't always work well. A number of escapes and escape attempts have occurred over the last decade because the facility is simply not designed to hold the more aggressive and violent youth that are currently being placed in the hall.
The current hall is already over-crowded, and to make matters worse, a needs assessment study completed in January of 2001 indicated that Yolo County will require a 90-bed facility in 2040.
The population of juveniles who run afoul of the law is substantial. In 1997 there were 451 juvenile felony arrest, in 1998 there were 514 felony arrests and in 1999 there were 437 juveniles arrested for felonies. In addition, the juvenile misdemeanor arrests for 1997, 1998, and 1999, respectively were 979, 1,078 and 953. Hefty numbers. But worse, the number of violent offenses continues to be significant: 1997 saw 106, 1998 had 125, and 1999 charted 109, all committed by juveniles.
The average length of stay in juvenile has been increasing year by year. In 1995 the average length of stay was 13 days and in 1999 and 2000 it is projected to be 17 days.
Since my swearing in to the Board of Supervisors in 1997, I have championed the cause of a new juvenile hall for this county. During my first year on the Board of Supervisors, when I served as Chairman of the Board, then-Presiding Superior Court Judge Bill Lebov and I proposed the creation of a Yolo Criminal Justice Cabinet. The Board approved the creation of the Cabinet, and Bill Lebov and I became Co-Chairs of this group. Early in the Cabinet's life, I proposed the creation of a number of standing committees, including a Criminal Justice Facilities Committee, which I chaired. A study of facility needs undertaken by this committee, came up with a new juvenile hall as the top priority. This priority was ultimately adopted by the Board of Supervisors and work, in earnest, began on planning for a new hall.
The problem, of course, was money.
A new juvenile hall would be expensive. Early estimates determined that the cost of a new hall would be around $10 million. Yolo County had the commitment to build a new hall. But it didn't have the money. So the challenge was to find a funding source.
Enter the State of California. Last year Governor Gray Davis recognized that counties needed help to develop and modernize juvenile justice facilities. He proposed, the Legislature accepted, and he signed into law an act dedicating $75 million in grant money to help counties build juvenile halls and other juvenile justice facilities. The ultimate decision for distribution of these grant monies would rest with the State Board of Corrections. Yolo County decided to submit an application for some of these funds.
We found ourselves with lots of company. Dozens of counties also pursued the grant funds. And Yolo County was asking for a great deal of money. It was determined that the new hall would cost us $9.3 million. Yolo County pledged a total cash match of $1.5 million as well as an additional $348,000 in in-kind contributions. Yolo County asked the State for a grant of $7.5 million, fully 10% of the available State grant funds. We put on the full court press. The probation department took the lead. A high-powered consultant was hired. All five county supervisors weighed in, and all five attended the presentation to the Board of Corrections.
The result: Yolo County was awarded a grant of $7.5 million to build a new juvenile hall. Truly, a success story.
But now the work begins in earnest. The new juvenile hall is scheduled to begin construction in April of 2002 and to be ready for occupancy in June of 2003. It will be a 35,526 square foot facility, located on land already owned by the county near the county jail. The location will allow the county to take advantage of shared food service and laundry support for efficiency and to save money. The new juvenile hall will be state-of-the art. The main features of the hall will include three "pods" of 30-beds each, connected to a central control and security core. Also included will be medical facilities, classrooms, visitor areas, intake areas, staff areas and storage.
The need for separate sleeping "pods" is very important. There are special and growing populations that, frankly, need to be separated from each other. For example, there is a growing female population in our juvenile hall. In 1997, 295 female juveniles were arrested and 66 were booked into the hall; in 1998, 346 were arrested and 114 were booked into the hall; and in 1999, 324 were arrested and 144 were booked into juvenile hall. Those with gang affiliations need to be separated as well. Other special populations include juveniles with mental health needs, juveniles from different cultures, pregnant minors and minors who are parents, minors with special health or psychological needs.
Yolo County's new juvenile hall will not only accommodate the physical needs of a growing population, but it will be a quality facility where our young people are safely and appropriate housed, where they can continue their education, and where they can receive the help they need to turn their lives around.