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County's juvenile lockup left in limbo by budget plan
Derek Jordan/Wick Communications
More than two weeks after Gov. Jan Brewer announced her plan to close the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections, staff at the county's only juvenile detention center are left without knowing how to manage such a steep increase in offenders.
"There are more unanswered questions than there are answered ones," said Delcy Scull, director of Cochise County Juvenile Court Services.
The number of juvenile offenders coming from the state to Cochise County would be more than double the number now in the county's juvenile detention facility, Scull said.
According to the governor's proposed budget, the move would save about $67 million through closure of the state's three juveniles detention facilities as well as the elimination of roughly 900 employees, as the state rushes to close a projected $3.2 billion shortfall for fiscal year 2011.
The Cochise County Juvenile Detention Center in Sierra Vista is designed to accommodate no more than 24 individuals. The facility currently houses 19, Scull said.
The closure of the state's juvenile corrections system would send 20 juveniles back to Cochise County, eight of which would need to be placed in its detention facility, while the others would be overseen by parole staff, she said.
Forcing the county to accept these individuals would result in its on-compliance with a recently enacted administrative order.
"You're going to have to double-bunk some of the kids, and by statute, that should not happen," Scull said. "We would definitely be out of compliance."
Scull said she has not heard anything from the Governors office about possible exceptions to the rule or any possible punitive measures for being overcrowded.
"A lot of things have not even been discussed," she said.
Other than space, the county's juvenile facility faces other issues, should it be forced to take back some of the county's young offenders.
"It is my belief that not all of the juveniles at (the Arizona Department of Juveniles Corrections) would be able to come back to the community, because they would need long term, secure care, and detention centers are basically constructed for short term stays," Scull said.
A number of juveniles at the state facilities are enrolled in intensive rehabilitation programs that require more than the standard stay of 30 days at the county detention center, making crowding even more of an issue she said.
Not only that, but it is just not feasible to offer the programs that these youths need in Cochise County, said Jim Milligan, county detention services division director.
"We may not even have enough of them at one time to offer those programs in our area," Milligan said.
The result would be to send them to neighboring counties that have the programs they need, further adding to operating costs to the county's juvenile detention system, he said.
There has been little to no discussion thus far at the county level as to how to pay for the increase in staff and eventual expansion of the detention facility that Scull said would be necessary.
"There is a hope that some of the money from the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections would be shifted to the counties to offset some of those costs," she said, but "no details have been worked out at this point."
(Derek Jordan is a reporter at the Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review.)
More than two weeks after Gov. Jan Brewer announced her plan to close the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections, staff at the county's only juvenile detention center are left without knowing how to manage such a steep increase in offenders.
"There are more unanswered questions than there are answered ones," said Delcy Scull, director of Cochise County Juvenile Court Services.
The number of juvenile offenders coming from the state to Cochise County would be more than double the number now in the county's juvenile detention facility, Scull said.
According to the governor's proposed budget, the move would save about $67 million through closure of the state's three juveniles detention facilities as well as the elimination of roughly 900 employees, as the state rushes to close a projected $3.2 billion shortfall for fiscal year 2011.
The Cochise County Juvenile Detention Center in Sierra Vista is designed to accommodate no more than 24 individuals. The facility currently houses 19, Scull said.
The closure of the state's juvenile corrections system would send 20 juveniles back to Cochise County, eight of which would need to be placed in its detention facility, while the others would be overseen by parole staff, she said.
Forcing the county to accept these individuals would result in its on-compliance with a recently enacted administrative order.
"You're going to have to double-bunk some of the kids, and by statute, that should not happen," Scull said. "We would definitely be out of compliance."
Scull said she has not heard anything from the Governors office about possible exceptions to the rule or any possible punitive measures for being overcrowded.
"A lot of things have not even been discussed," she said.
Other than space, the county's juvenile facility faces other issues, should it be forced to take back some of the county's young offenders.
"It is my belief that not all of the juveniles at (the Arizona Department of Juveniles Corrections) would be able to come back to the community, because they would need long term, secure care, and detention centers are basically constructed for short term stays," Scull said.
A number of juveniles at the state facilities are enrolled in intensive rehabilitation programs that require more than the standard stay of 30 days at the county detention center, making crowding even more of an issue she said.
Not only that, but it is just not feasible to offer the programs that these youths need in Cochise County, said Jim Milligan, county detention services division director.
"We may not even have enough of them at one time to offer those programs in our area," Milligan said.
The result would be to send them to neighboring counties that have the programs they need, further adding to operating costs to the county's juvenile detention system, he said.
There has been little to no discussion thus far at the county level as to how to pay for the increase in staff and eventual expansion of the detention facility that Scull said would be necessary.
"There is a hope that some of the money from the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections would be shifted to the counties to offset some of those costs," she said, but "no details have been worked out at this point."
(Derek Jordan is a reporter at the Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review.)
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James Connally wrote on Feb 10, 2010 10:14 AM:
One thing the Department does is provide a consitent, specialized best practice methodology that has producred an outcome that Arizona can be proud of--LOWER RECIDIVISM (youth not recommiting crimes once released from ADJC jurisdiction) and better yet-youth receiving high school diplomas and becomming gainfully employed.
The Agency starts ths work when a youth is placed in one of it's prisons and then successfully monitors, educates, and treats the youth while they are on parole in their communities.
Again-CONSITENCY and using evidence based BEST PRACTICES. Hmmmmmm now that the Governor's plan wants to eliminate the Agency-is the State of Arizona going to be guaranteed that the 15 counties are going to have that same consitency and same application of best practices?
It took close to 20 years of culture change and milliions of Arizona Taxpayer money ( Federal Law Suit 1990's-CRIPA Investigation 2003) which culminated in an audit by the State Auditor General in 2009- that resulted in a A+ rating . And the Governor's Budget plan wants to eliminate this to save the State money???
The time and cost to replicate this juvenile offender program at the County level cannot take one year-two year and/or ten years, but rather will be more money, lawsuits, federal investigations etc... now to be paid for and experienced by the 15 Countys. 'Penny wise-Pound foolish?'
Respecfully Governor Brewer- please do not let this happen. "