HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif. — The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury released a report on the county's conservation camps Monday, finding insufficient data is being collected and published to gauge their equitability and rehabilitative effectiveness.
The grand jury said it was unable to find any consistently reliable data for conservation camps, leaving them with important questions about the numbers of inmates at the camps, time inmates spend there, ages and ethnicity of inmates, inmate firefighters' injuries and fatalities and recidivism rates of camp versus institution inmates.
The grand jury maintains these are examples of data that should be tracked to validate the rehabilitative effectiveness of the conservation camp system, as well as to indicate where improvements can be made. The grand jury recommends the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation start a program to establish, maintain and publish this data by Jan. 1, 2021.
Among their other findings, the grand jury says it was impressed with the positive aspects of rehabilitation provided by the camps, as well as the great service they provide to the communities. It also found the camps to be understaffed by inmates due to changes in housing and sentencing guidelines which limit inmates to serve time in institutions lacking the rehabilitative benefits found in service at the camps.
The grand jury also found the camps to be well-maintained and well-managed, while providing great opportunities for rehabilitation where inmates learn job skills, develop self-discipline and gain self-respect. The camp crews also provide important firefighting forces during the state's expanding fire season and community services during the non-fire season, according to the grand jury.
Specifically, the grand jury inspected the Humboldt County Correctional Facility, Humboldt County Juvenile Hall, Northern California Regional Center, High Rock Conservation Camp, Eel River Conservation Camp and Sempervirens Psychiatric Health Facility to compile their report.
By Andy Kraus
KRCR News
May 25, 2020
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