Juveniles awaiting transfer from Juvenile Hall into the William F. James Boys Ranch in Morgan Hill will have to wait a bit longer because a proposed facility expansion may not move forward as quickly.
The county's Public Safety and Justice Committee held a special meeting Monday afternoon to discuss a recommendation to expand the facility from 60 to 108 beds, located on Malaguerra Avenue.
The probation department has a capacity at the ranch of 96 beds, but because the facility was converted to a modular configuration, it only has 60 actual beds currently. The department wants to add four 12-bed modules, which would increase the number of actual beds at the facility by 48 but would increase the allowed capacity by only 12.
Supervisor Blanca Alvarado, who chairs the committee, asked for clarification about the need for the expansion and a report by the Santa Clara County Probation Department. The report gave the committee and in-depth look at the current population of the Juvenile Hall facility as well as the ranch and detailed the need for expansion.
The department requested the former 96 bed dorm-style facility be converted to a pod arrangement, with five pods each containing 12 beds and then expand it. It also wants to add four temporary pods that would bring the total number of beds to 108, a 48-bed increase.
Chief Probation Officer Sheila Mitchell told committee members there are youths who have been approved to participate in the ranch rehabilitation program but because of a lack of space, are waiting in Juvenile Hall. She would like to move at least some of them into the ranch by adding four more modulars to bring the capacity to 108.
Alvarado and other committee members heard from community members, many of them involved in community services that could assist with the rehabilitation of the juvenile offenders, including Sparky Wilson, the executive director of the Bill Wilson Center, a group home.
She told the committee her center could help the youths, even those with multiple offenses.
"We can take these kids, that's a kid we can save and not at a risk to the community," she said.
Supervisor Ken Yeager told Alvarado he would like to bring up for discussion at the June 24 Board of Supervisors regular meeting a recommendation to at least add 12 beds to the ranch, and Alvarado said while she would like to continue to look for alternatives for the juvenile offenders besides expanding the ranch, she might be able to support adding the 12 beds.
Alvarado said she believes it is very important that the committee continue to study the juvenile detention system and the percentages of minorities in the system.
"We need to find a better way of dealing with the youths in the community," she said. "We need to look at what is happening in the community that is creating an upswing in violence."
A standing-room-only crowd filled the committee conference room at the County Government Center in San Jose, so Alvarado moved the meeting downstairs to the board room.
Marilyn Dubil Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or send her an email.
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