The governor’s proposed budget threatens to cut one of the most
relevant juvenile crime prevention programs at the San Benito
County Probation Department, leaving a group of at-risk kids in the
lurch and some probation officers’ jobs hanging in the balance,
according to the chief probation officer.
Hollister – The governor’s proposed budget threatens to cut one of the most relevant juvenile crime prevention programs at the San Benito County Probation Department, leaving a group of at-risk kids in the lurch and some probation officers’ jobs hanging in the balance, according to the chief probation officer.
For the past four years the state has given San Benito County $175,000 a year for its Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act grant, which allows probation officers to show extra attention to juveniles on probation under the age of 15 that are most likely to reoffend, said Chief Probation Officer Deborah Botts.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger slashed 75 percent of funding for the justice prevention act grant as a way to cut costs across the board in his 2005-2006 proposed budget. If the cuts go through, it could annihilate the county’s program, which could lead to increased juvenile crime and the possibility of layoffs, Botts said.
Currently, two probation officers work with between 20 to 35 kids a year who have been arrested once or twice and have several factors that would increase their chances for becoming repeat offenders, Botts said. If Schwarzenneger has his way, the department would only receive $43,000 for the entire program, which wouldn’t even fund one full-time officer, she said. The department has 11 officers on staff, she said.
“We could look at other grant funding to see if we could supplement it … but it would be a temporary fix. We could be looking at cuts,” she said. “But I maintain hope. The first budget reports are always hideous. This is the first fire across the bow.”
The juvenile justice program deals with children who need intervention the most for problems involving family matters, such as abuse or neglect, gang involvement or association, substance abuse or problems in academics, Botts said. Probation officers work intensely with the kids in the program to inject positive influences and reinforcements into their lives, which include drug and emotional counseling through the county’s mental health and substance abuse programs, and academic tutoring, she said. Studies have shown there is a very short window of opportunity to correct criminal behavior at a young age before it gets out of control, Botts said. This program is aimed at doing exactly that, she said.
“In this population of kids, they aren’t chronic recidivists, but because of their risk factors they have the potential to be,” Botts said. “(Without it) they’ll be assimilated into the regular caseload and be less likely to succeed.”
The program was implemented in 2000, and although juvenile crime in San Benito saw a dramatic spike in 2001, since then youth-based crimes have been reduced by 32 percent, Botts said. She attributes much of this to the juvenile justice prevention program, and said without it juvenile crime will “absolutely” increase.
Juvenile prevention is one of the most effective ways to deal with the burgeoning gang problem within the city, said Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller. One of Miller’s goals for 2005 is to identify key aspects of the gang problem through community meetings, the second of which took place last night at Calaveras School, and come up with possible remedies. Many community members have voiced concerns that children are becoming associated with gangs at a younger age, which exacerbates the problem.
Cutting a program designed specifically to prevent at-risk children from joining gangs will reduce the efficacy of all law enforcement agencies within the county, he said.
The juvenile justice grant is the only funding the governor is looking at taking from probation, but his proposed cuts in other areas of law enforcement also include cutting $500,000 given annually to each of the 37 rural sheriff’s departments throughout the state. Sheriff Curtis Hill has said if that cut goes through he also could have to layoff employees.
The juvenile justice program is one of the more successful programs throughout the state for preventing juvenile crime, and to take it away would be not only foolish, but costly in the long run, he said.
“Studies have shown that for every $1 we spend on prevention, we save $7 in the back end,” Hill said. “With that said, what a tremendous loss for communities, our community, when this kind of funding gets cut. This is the money that does the good work out there.”
Assemblyman Simon Salinas, D-Salinas, has vowed to lobby the governor and his financial staff to reverse the cuts within both the probation and sheriff’s department.
Salinas was unavailable for comment because he was at a retreat, but Frank Molina, Salinas’ chief of staff, said reversing the cuts in the juvenile justice program is one of the Assemblyman’s priorities in the months leading up to finishing the budget this summer.
“(Salinas) lives in the area, and there really is an issue with youth and crime rates going up,” Molina said. “The fact of the matter is that if they do not provide the money, the crime rate goes up and the community suffers. It just doesn’t make sense.”
The governor will revise the budget in May.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
