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Printed
on Sat, Dec. 28, 2002
San Jose Mercury News
Keeping Kids Out of Jail
The police chiefs of Santa Clara County have handed our children a holiday present that few may appreciate -- an enlightened juvenile detention policy.
Unless children commit a serious, violent offense and are a danger to society, they will no longer be booked into the county juvenile jail. Instead, they will be diverted to a community agency or taken home. However, as a Mercury News editorial (Opinion, Dec. 25) stated, community services must be strengthened to respond to the increased demand on already strained resources.
With looming county and state budget deficits, there is little hope of new dollars.
At a time when the county is embarking on juvenile justice detention reform that has already decreased the population in the juvenile jail, a new wing of the jail is being built that will increase the beds from 366 to 390. After the new police chiefs' policy is fully operational, the jail population should decrease even more.
By 2004, we may have a new juvenile hall that is half empty. The real danger, of course, is that the county will feel compelled to fill the empty beds and hire expensive new staff, further depleting limited public resources. On the other hand, the county could reduce the jail operations costs and redistribute funds to community services.
Sending kids home who do not commit a violent offense is a great first step. However, parents will need support to deal with children that are beyond their control. Many youth in the juvenile jail are there because parents do not want them home -- not because they don't love them, but because they can no longer handle them. In-home services, family counseling, or short-term shelter may be needed to help these families.
There are many community agencies that already provide an array of quality services. Give the community agencies the resources to expand services and juvenile justice detention reform will work.
Sparky
Harlan
Executive
Director
Bill Wilson Center
Santa Clara