Although it is greatly “underutilized,” the Napa County Juvenile Justice Center is serving its youths well as it focuses on rehabilitation instead of incarceration, the Napa County Grand Jury said Tuesday.
There is space at the 43,000-square-foot, two-story facility on Old Sonoma Road to house 50 juveniles, but each of the two times the grand jury toured it, there were fewer than 20 youths there. This is a statewide issue as arrest rates for juveniles continue to decrease, the grand jury said.
This arrest rate for Californians ages 10 to 17 has been steadily declining since 2007, the grand jury said.
In 2009, Napa County had 567 juveniles on probation, according to the grand jury’s report. By 2016, that number was 232. The arrest total for that age range in Napa County dropped from 469 in 2011 to 258 in 2016 – a 45 percent decrease.
The grand jury notes that California has passed a series of bills focusing on rehabilitation instead of punishment in addition to reduced criminal penalties since 2007.
Napa Police Lt. Brian Campagna said that due to Propositions 47 and 64, which reduced penalties for some crimes and legalized adult recreational marijuana use, police aren’t typically arresting juveniles for possession of drugs, possession of drugs for sale or for selling drugs.
“Arrests for marijuana issues are almost nonexistent now based upon the new laws,” Campagna said Tuesday.
In addition to the state changes, he said, the Napa Valley Unified School District “Restorative Practices” program and the police department’s diversion program might be factors in why arrests in Napa County have decreased so much.
“The (Youth Services Bureau) Diversion Program’s purpose is to address at-risk behavior and minor criminal behavior without getting a juvenile involved in the criminal justice system,” he said.
Part of it could also be linked to state funding given to counties about a decade ago that allowed for more local rehabilitation services, Napa County Chief Probation Officer Mary Butler said.
The number of youths on probation during this 10-year span went from about 750 to about 235, she said.
The Probation department, which runs juvenile hall, has been seeing positive results stemming from its evening reporting center. The center runs from 3 to 7 p.m. during hours when most juvenile crime occurs, Butler said.
The grand jury found that juvenile hall has a full schedule of youth engagement activities and that participants have had positive encounters with counselors, managers and staff.
Juvenile hall offers programs focused on building life skills and modifying behavior as well as programs that provide education and career training. A culinary arts program is planned, the grand jury said, which will teach participants life skills and provide potential career training in an industry in line with Napa County’s tourist economy.
The grand jury expressed some concern over the underused space at the facility, but found that consolidating these services with another county, which has been discussed previously, would not be beneficial for the county or the youth. On this point, the grand jury agreed with juvenile hall management.
The extra space may be used in the future to accommodate initiatives like the Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) Project, which requires housing and special training for adults ages 18 to 20. The pilot program, which the grand jury says is in its early stages, would require these adults to be housed at juvenile hall.
The grand jury recommended that the Napa County Board of Supervisors commission a study by Dec. 31 to determine whether excess facility capacity and staffing can be put to an alternative use.
Napa County is required to respond to the grand jury report within 90 days.
June 20, 2018
Napa Valley Register
By Maria Sestito
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