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Voters asked to aid troubled kids Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Small, austere rooms are just one of the aspects of the juvenile detention center officials hope to replace with a bond measure on the Nov. 7 ballot. The measure would build a new center with additional beds for detention and shelter as well as rooms for treatment and counseling. $16.5 million measure would replace crowded juvenile center By Dani Dodge The Jackson County juvenile center is so crowded, the woman who counsels crime victims must share an office with a probation officer who interviews offenders. A bad combination, to say the least. When the young criminals and suspects detained here eat, they must jam in so tightly that if anyone leans back or jiggles their leg, someone else is bound to feel the movement. "Every one is so close together that there�s times when I trip over people and I get really mad," said 17-year-old Marie, who is spending time in the center on a probation violation. "People get into confrontations because you can�t help but run into people." But what do you expect from a facility built in 1957, when the county�s population was less than 70,000? Now the population is nearly 170,000. The center barely has space for the 20 kids a day allowed there, and every day officials must let out a few to accommodate the newcomers � even if those released could benefit from a little longer stay. Measure 15-15, a $16.5 million bond measure on November�s ballot, though, could turn things around for troubled children who find themselves at the county center. The measure would build a new juvenile center adding 20 secure beds to the 20 already available for kids who have committed crimes. The bond measure also would pay for another 16 "shelter" beds � for children who have no where else to sleep, or to house some young, minor offenders who shouldn�t be mixing with older kids convicted of violent crimes like first-degree rape. The new center would include four classrooms and four times the existing space for treatment and counseling programs. "This facility is focusing on prevention and intervention, and not detention," said Community Justice Director Bob Grindstaff. "It�s providing a safe space for troubled youth and their families so we can help children with �thinking errors� so they don�t go further in to the criminal justice system." If it sounds like you�ve heard this all before, you�re right. The county has twice before tried to pass bonds for a juvenile center. But commissioners and county officials say it is critical to pass the bond measure Nov. 7: The county will lose a federal matching grant of $4.1 million if the facility isn�t nearing completion by 2003. In 1998, the measure lost by 1 percent of the vote. In the second attempt in 1999 � which required at least a 50 percent turnout � the measure won by 60 percent, but only 41 percent of the voters sent in their ballots. The 50 percent turnout rule does not apply to tax measures that appear on this November�s general election ballot. The proposal has not changed in scope or cost since the 1999 measure. The current juvenile center is in the South Gateway shopping center area. When it was constructed, the center was surrounded by farmland. Now it�s encircled by retailers like Fred Meyer and the Harry and David Country Store. The new center would be built next to the Justice Building, on the north side of 10th Street near Oakdale Avenue. Passage of a $16.5 million bond would mean the owner of a $200,000 house would pay $50 a year extra in property taxes. The bond would be lowered after the county gets its federal grant. County Commissioner Jack Walker said the bond will be money well spent. "We need the programs that keep kids out of trouble, instead of just locking them up," Walker said. "Once they become adult criminals, the cost really goes up." There is no organized opposition to the measure, but some people have grumbled about the price, noting the facility costs more to build than a luxury hotel. But Grindstaff said there are reasons for the expense. The county must meet strict state and federal guidelines when building a secure facility. That means, for example, using concrete and steel instead of wood. Grindstaff said the county has done everything it can to cut costs, including designing the center without a kitchen. Food for juveniles will be prepared nearby at the jail kitchen. Also, the county has partitioned off the secure areas so less-expensive construction can be utilized for the shelter beds and classrooms. "The bond is a lot of money, but that�s not the big cost � the big cost is the operational cost over time," Grindstaff said. "By building it in the right location near the jail, and making it a modern facility, over time we will save money in operational costs." Staff members at the juvenile center say they look forward to a new facility where they can serve children and families better. Right now, there�s not enough room for meeting with families and children. On Thursday, as often happens, a staff member was trying to counsel a crying parent at a picnic table in front of the center, while curious onlookers went in and out of the building. "All the families we have come here are in crisis, and it�s hard to deal with crisis in this space or outside," said Theresia cq, O�Grady, a program manager at the center. The crowding leads to other awkward situations. The bathrooms where kids have to give their urine samples are situated in a main, crowded hall. A staff member has to watch through a slightly opened door while the juvenile gives the sample. Often others, including small children, will try to peek at what�s going on. "It can be real embarrassing," said Carl Erickson, another program manager. The recreation yard is only big enough for a blacktopped volleyball court. The incarcerated kids from age 9 to 19 must play together in limited space � without the choice of a different outdoor activity. Still, 17-year old Marie smiles and laughs as she tries to master the game. She said the caring staff has made a huge difference to her self-esteem. But the crammed, decrepit building has made her stay more of a challenge. She said there are fruit flies in the water system. The showers don�t always work. The air conditioner goes off and on. "Everyone gets pretty stinky and nasty," she notes. "It�s crowded. It�s just so crowded." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.