RPinSD
01-11-2005, 02:24 PM
January 11, 2005
Ben Lomond CYA camp will soon house adult inmates
By JONDI GUMZ
Sentinel staff writer
BONNY DOON — The Ben Lomond California Youth Authority camp is slated to become a camp for adult inmates, the result of a state budget-cutting move announced Monday.
CYA officials said the change is one of several departmental actions designed to save money — $1.15 million next year and $4.5 million the year after — and improve fire safety.
The camp’s 37 young men are scheduled to vacate the site on Empire Grade Road by mid-February, followed by the 28-member staff in April or May, according to camp director Rudy Luna, who plans to move to another CYA facility.
Capt. John Peck of the state Department of Corrections said 100 adult inmates would move in and join the fire crews, taking on the same duties handled by the youthful offenders.
"We have a ‘good neighbor policy’ and we’re excited about coming to your community," he said.
The announcement didn’t come as a surprise to Matthew Kaufman, president of the Braemoor Drive Road Association and a volunteer firefighter. He had heard that changes were in the works because the number of wards available to serve on fire crews was shrinking.
"You get a big fire up here, everybody could lose their house," He said. "Given a choice between closing or converting, I’d rather it stay open."
In the 1980s, the camp housed about 100 young men ages 18 to 24. By 2003, it was down to 57, and the camp’s future was in doubt. However, the state kept the camp operating and shut two other facilities instead.
"The numbers are just not there," said Luna, the camp director, noting the statewide population of criminal wards has declined from 10,000 to 3,400 over the past decade,
That made it difficult for the state Department of Forestry to fully staff a 17-member fire crew.
Luna said crime has declined, and fewer counties are steering youthful offenders to the CYA system.
Instead, they are being sent to Juvenile Hall or tried as adults. Meanwhile, the prison population is at an all-time high.
About 4,200 adult inmates in the state are assigned to camps. They usually are men who committed property crimes or were involved with drugs — not murderers, rapists or those prone to violence, according to Peck of the Corrections Department. The number of escapes is small, he said: Six in 2003.
Kaufman is among the 50 homeowners living near the camp. He moved there in 1999. He reported hearing of only two incidents involving escapes, including one in which a car with the keys inside was stolen.
"That’s not a bad track record," he said.
Contact Jondi Gumz at jgumz@santacruzsentinel.com (jgumz@santacruzsentinel.com?subject=Ben Lomond CYA camp will soon house adult inmates).
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2005/January/11/local/stories/05local.htm
Ben Lomond CYA camp will soon house adult inmates
By JONDI GUMZ
Sentinel staff writer
BONNY DOON — The Ben Lomond California Youth Authority camp is slated to become a camp for adult inmates, the result of a state budget-cutting move announced Monday.
CYA officials said the change is one of several departmental actions designed to save money — $1.15 million next year and $4.5 million the year after — and improve fire safety.
The camp’s 37 young men are scheduled to vacate the site on Empire Grade Road by mid-February, followed by the 28-member staff in April or May, according to camp director Rudy Luna, who plans to move to another CYA facility.
Capt. John Peck of the state Department of Corrections said 100 adult inmates would move in and join the fire crews, taking on the same duties handled by the youthful offenders.
"We have a ‘good neighbor policy’ and we’re excited about coming to your community," he said.
The announcement didn’t come as a surprise to Matthew Kaufman, president of the Braemoor Drive Road Association and a volunteer firefighter. He had heard that changes were in the works because the number of wards available to serve on fire crews was shrinking.
"You get a big fire up here, everybody could lose their house," He said. "Given a choice between closing or converting, I’d rather it stay open."
In the 1980s, the camp housed about 100 young men ages 18 to 24. By 2003, it was down to 57, and the camp’s future was in doubt. However, the state kept the camp operating and shut two other facilities instead.
"The numbers are just not there," said Luna, the camp director, noting the statewide population of criminal wards has declined from 10,000 to 3,400 over the past decade,
That made it difficult for the state Department of Forestry to fully staff a 17-member fire crew.
Luna said crime has declined, and fewer counties are steering youthful offenders to the CYA system.
Instead, they are being sent to Juvenile Hall or tried as adults. Meanwhile, the prison population is at an all-time high.
About 4,200 adult inmates in the state are assigned to camps. They usually are men who committed property crimes or were involved with drugs — not murderers, rapists or those prone to violence, according to Peck of the Corrections Department. The number of escapes is small, he said: Six in 2003.
Kaufman is among the 50 homeowners living near the camp. He moved there in 1999. He reported hearing of only two incidents involving escapes, including one in which a car with the keys inside was stolen.
"That’s not a bad track record," he said.
Contact Jondi Gumz at jgumz@santacruzsentinel.com (jgumz@santacruzsentinel.com?subject=Ben Lomond CYA camp will soon house adult inmates).
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2005/January/11/local/stories/05local.htm