Juvenile hall has success stories and failures
Juvenile hall is the last stop before San Benito County Jail for
some local youth.
Juvenile hall has success stories and failures
Juvenile hall is the last stop before San Benito County Jail for some local youth.
“Most of these kids, they don’t want to end up next door,” said Cesar Diaz, a juvenile institution officer for the San Benito County probation department.
The county jail can be seen from juvenile hall.
David, 17, who requested that we not use his last name, spent three months in juvenile hall, from November 2006 through January 2007.
David hated juvenile hall.
“We’d be in our cells a really long time,” David said.
Being locked in his cell overnight gave him time to think.
“It showed me what I could have if I kept getting in trouble,” David said. “That’s another reason I want to stay out of trouble.”
David is articulate despite speech peppered with teen slang.
Before being sentenced to juvenile hall, he misbehaved.
“That’s the first time I got caught,” David said. “I think it was building. I didn’t hang out with the best people in Hollister.”
As part of his sentence, David also spent eight months at the Crystal Creek Regional Boys Camp in Redding. He has been out of camp and back home since September 2007.
He makes mostly As and Bs at San Andreas Continuation High School.
“Nothing less than a C-plus,” David said.
Since he has been out, he spends time with his family and keeps in shape by boxing. He wants to join the military.
“Now, I’m taking a step forward,” David said. “I’m staying out of trouble, keeping fit. I was always dreaming about it, but I never took that step forward.”
Although he is behind in school, he hopes to graduate this year.
There is no one thing that made him decide to stay out of trouble. Most important was a strong support system – his family, and probation department staff, especially his probation officer.
“It sounds weird,” David said, “but if I had never gotten in trouble, I would still be doing the same things.”
Though David has been out of the system for several months, many teens like him will end up back in juvenile hall.
Juvenile hall either makes kids or breaks them, said Diaz, who has worked at SBC juvenile hall for nine years. Nichole Ortega, supervising juvenile institution officer, agreed.”
“It’s hard to see the ones that come back,” Ortega said.
In mid-March, there were 21 kids at juvenile hall. About a quarter of them have been in juvenile hall before, Diaz said.
Kids usually land in juvenile hall for crimes that include assault and petty theft.
“Some kids are conditioned to become criminals by parents who are criminals,” said Yolanda Leon, supervisor for the San Benito County probation department.
Many cycle in and out of juvenile hall for years.
“We have one of our kids that has been here since he was 10,” Diaz said. It’s a generational thing. His father was locked up.”
His older brothers were also locked up.
“I pretty much raised him,” Diaz said. “He’s at the point where he wants to clean up his act. He’s tired of institutional life.”
When kids in juvenile hall feel they need to change, they will, Diaz said.
“Especially for those that are involved in the gang lifestyle,” Diaz said.
The facility is set up for 20 students, mostly males between the ages of 13 and 18.
About 85 percent are Hispanic, Diaz said. A lot of their parents don’t speak English and have a difficult time understanding the justice system.
The adopted budget for juvenile hall in San Benito County was more than $1.5 million dollars in 2007-2008. Staff keep no statistics regarding how many kids from juvenile hall are likely to end up in jail or prison, how many are likely to end up in juvenile hall again, or how many are likely to leave the justice system entirely, Leon said.
“A majority of the kids are habitual offenders,” Leon said.
Between 80 and 85 percent of inmates in the San Benito County Jail started out in the juvenile justice system, said Curtis Hill, sheriff for the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department.
“Usually what happens is they start when they’re juveniles, then they roll right over into the adult system,” Curtis said.
Though most of the inmates may still be considered children, the staff take precautions to prevent violence. Kids only have access to their toothbrushes during the hygiene call after each meal. Some of the offenders know how to file down the end of a toothbrush enough to lock themselves in a room.
“Our major problem is kids locking themselves in their room and then creating a ruckus in there,” Diaz said. “That’s the reason they don’t get to keep their toothbrush.”
The worst thing about juvenile hall is the food, David said.
“It’s some of the grossest I’ve ever tasted,” he said. “You have to force feed yourself to survive.”
His least favorite was the bologna sandwiches, “with little particles of bone in it.”
The staff say the food is nutritious, if not tasty.
“No flavor, but it’s good for them,” Diaz said. “The food isn’t that bad. I eat with them everyday.”
A chain link fence encloses the yard.
Instead of barbed wire, the top half of the fence consists of tight links that fingers cannot fit through, Ortega said.
Beyond the yard’s fence the rolling hills of the Diablo Mountain Range can be seen. Despite the view, David felt enclosed. He did not feel that way at camp.
Crystal Creek is surrounded by trees and unfenced, David said.
“In juvenile hall, you’re more compact,” David said. “You feel like an animal in a cage. It’s just that feeling of being locked up and feeling the walls around you.”
Some of the activities offered in the past, such as art, have been cut.
“I think that was really cool,” David said. “They’d take us out and we’d draw things. Sometimes we’d do arts and crafts.”
A staff member purchased art supplies, Ortega said.
“It was stopped because it was getting too costly to him out of his own pocket,” Ortega said.
“We’re really going to have to buck up and supply the programs,” said Brent Cardall, chief probation officer. “If we’re ever going to change these people, then we have to supply the programming.”
For David, the most important part of his experience was bonding with staff members at his camp. He felt like the staff members at juvenile hall did not reach out to him.
“Add a little effort, it goes a long way,” David said. “They really just stick to their job. Once in a while they go out of their way.”
David had some other words of advice.
“I think they need to figure out more things to help youth,” David said. “I think it all falls down on boredom. When you have time on your hands, you want to go do things that are going to get you into trouble.”
A day in the life of Juvenile Hall
A kid’s first stay at juvenile hall is usually for between 72 hours and one week, according to Cesar Diaz, a juvenile institution officer for the San Benito County probation department. Stays can drag on for months of daily routine.
This is a day in the life of a juvenile inmate.
6 a.m.-6:15 a.m.: wake-up
6:15-7:15: room cleaning/pilates/yoga/recreation
7:15-7:30: breakfast set up
7:30-8:00: breakfast
8:00-8:15: hygiene
8:15-10:15: class
10:15-10:30: break
10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.: class.
12:30-12:45: lunch setup
12:45-1:00: lunch
1:00-1:15: lunch cleanup
1:15-1:30: room cleanup
Afternoon schedule varies.
There is a special program everyday, such as art therapy, alcoholics or narcotics anonymous, or church.
Recess is at least 60 minutes every day.
4:00-4:15: dinner set up
4:15-4:30: dinner
4:30-4:45: dinner clean up and shower set up
4:45-5:30: shower
6:30-10:00: free time
Visiting hours are Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Ortega said.
10:00 p.m.: lights out
Kids are allowed to make 10-min. phone calls during recreation or by request.
