Camp Glenwood Reopening a Disater

[Jack Kirkpatrick]

It is time to realize that Camp Glenwood is returning to another disaster waiting to happen!

The Juvenile Court and Probation officials claim they are improving their screening procedures, and creating a 1 to 7 staff ratio for the 28 inmates committed there with no fence, improved lighting, video, and roving security system in place. "The commission opposed building a fence in a letter to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, saying it would compromise the camp’s environment, which hinges on openness and trust." This is old school thinking - in the 1960's, gangs were not rampant, there were less children, less split families and a better semblance of individual responsibility even from some members within their alienated subculture group.

These juveniles are not entitled to an immediate openness and trust based on their history of accountability and lack of supervision from their families. Trust is built on past performance and the inmates trust is lacking to date! Once they complete camp programming and are placed on active supervision will they demonstrate that society can begin to establish reciprocal trust. Participating in programming at the camp offers substantial opportunities to build the seeds of trust including future weekend passes accompanied by their parents. For now, an open setting should be forfeited as they have become wards of the court!

Four staff members to supervise 28 inmates in an open setting is not safe and quickly drains staff supervision when a fight, accident or other security incident occurs during two shifts. Even with two night supervisors may be stretching resources while inmates sleep in an unlocked facility. Camp Glenwood inmates can take over a facility or walk away, but during "sleeping hours," that really becomes a problem!

I have heard nothing from the Court about having a director and an assistant director to split the two days shifts and this 24/7 facility still requires management on weekends. What role do they have in their executive functions including staff meetings and assessing performance standards and measuring those standards from all aspects of operation?

I have heard nothing about programming! How many teachers are present during a 5-day week and what role will they play in group supervision or are their duties teaching and how does their role affect court and community schools union provisions? What additional training and authority do they have? What about the cook, maintenance and clerical staff who are present and what role will they play in supervision and programming?

I see no on site psychologist available four days a week for afternoon individual counseling (we should not take inmates out of school during morning and early afternoon sessions) and four evening and group counseling sessions with seven inmates and their parents. Parents should be required by court order to attend these sessions weekly. That is one group meeting a week to prepare for family reunification and to backfill a host of skills to ensure that they will not succumb to the "hood" where they will surely return.

"Sheriff’s officials said there have been no re*ported walk-aways in recent months. But should the camp’s residents be struck by wanderlust, the sheriff’s and probation departments have committed to finding any walk-aways within 48 hours.... That, I think, ultimately assured, I think, all of the judges that we have a system now that has been fixed and we can open it and allow kids to go back,” Judge Foiles said. That is 48 hours in "la la land" and that thinking doesn't enhance security.

This camp restructuring is not good enough, nor should it be another "experiment in public safety!" We should not compromise La Honda and the flatlands for an ill managed, ill staff and ill equip facility! The "public environment "hinges on openness and trust" that the court has forfeited and now they want another chance to save money at the cost of the public’s personal security.

Close Camp Glenwood or properly staff and secure it! If not, revitalize the old Hillcrest unit or fill up he new YSC.

[nitamac]

I would rather have a kid be sent to camp Glenwood then be sent to California Youth Authority. CYA needs to be shut down!

If it was your kid Jack Kirkpatrick tell me where would you want your son sent?

[Jack Kirkpatrick]

Adult state prison would be entirely appropriate for many crimes where a person who is a juvenile, knowingly knows the difference between right and wrong when committing serious violence or property crimes! That also includes any relative is deserving prison sentence for assaulting women with a ball pien hammer while lying in wait! I got to visit him as an infant - McAuley Clinic , not withstanding to see whether he was a nut case. Of course, that was in the 1940s and he was a nut case and he did his time.

I have no sons. The girl's clinic may or may not be geared to comprehensive family reunification, but that shouldn't be the only requirement and why I argue that parents should be in therapy at the same time their children are incarcerated! I believe in punishment first and rehabilitation concomitant to punishment that may at first be weak. Merely being in front of the juvenile court ought to be enough with proper reinforcement from law abiding parents and everyone should be embarrassed enough to change!

I'll probably withdraw this post in a day or two, but you deserve an answer. Camp Glenwood is playing with peoples' lives and inmates are not very successful in their recidivism rate in the long run. However, our authorities will dispute this as they have no really comprehensive longitudinal studies to support this one way or another. The only way it may become a good program is to involve the family in comprehensive group treatment and to get separated families to pay court ordered child support and other parenting activities!

By the way, the CYA no longer exists in its former state and that is because gangs singularly destroyed any programming from 1980 onward that was required to offer opportunities for rehabilitation. That is also why I believe strongly in gang suppression and removing illegal immigrants for this country!

Today, there is not adequate shame by criminal offenders, by divorced people or parents (often the children are abandoned and without court ordered child support), or by children having children out of wedlock and letting family provide the supervision and and care for thei progeny. With little or no shame there is little chance for reintegration and the welfare rolls expand and the traditional community resources fail to play their proper role in preparing people for establishing affective interpersoal relationships and basic skills in the 3 -Rs and supporting a sense of citizenship.

Most parents and children get it; internalizing values may fall short, but way short is unacceptable!

[nitamac]

Are you aware that CYA sends there inmates to Adult prison if they catch a case while in CYA and 18 or older, and when that inmate is done serving his time for that case in an Adult Prison they are sent back to CYA and can be kept there until the age of 25. That’s why there are gangs in CYA. They learned all about how the real gangs are because in Adult Prisons is where the gangs all started.

[nitamac]

Adult state prison would be entirely appropriate for many crimes where a person who is a juvenile, knowingly knows the difference between right and wrong when committing serious violence or property crimes! That also includes any relative is deserving prison sentence for assaulting women with a ball pien hammer while lying in wait! I got to visit him as an infant - McAuley Clinic , not withstanding to see whether he was a nut case. Of course, that was in the 1940s and he was a nut case and he did his time.

I have no sons. The girl's clinic may or may not be geared to comprehensive family reunification, but that shouldn't be the only requirement and why I argue that parents should be in therapy at the same time their children are incarcerated! I believe in punishment first and rehabilitation concomitant to punishment that may at first be weak. Merely being in front of the juvenile court ought to be enough with proper reinforcement from law abiding parents and everyone should be embarrassed enough to change!

I'll probably withdraw this post in a day or two, but you deserve an answer. Camp Glenwood is playing with peoples' lives and inmates are not very successful in their recidivism rate in the long run. However, our authorities will dispute this as they have no really comprehensive longitudinal studies to support this one way or another. The only way it may become a good program is to involve the family in comprehensive group treatment and to get separated families to pay court ordered child support and other parenting activities!

By the way, the CYA no longer exists in its former state and that is because gangs singularly destroyed any programming from 1980 onward that was required to offer opportunities for rehabilitation. That is also why I believe strongly in gang suppression and removing illegal immigrants for this country!

Today, there is not adequate shame by criminal offenders, by divorced people or parents (often the children are abandoned and without court ordered child support), or by children having children out of wedlock and letting family provide the supervision and and care for thei progeny. With little or no shame there is little chance for reintegration and the welfare rolls expand and the traditional community resources fail to play their proper role in preparing people for establishing affective interpersoal relationships and basic skills in the 3 -Rs and supporting a sense of citizenship.

Most parents and children get it; internalizing values may fall short, but way short is unacceptable!
I don’t think to many people are aware of this, but CYA “California Youth Authority” sends there inmates who catch cases while serving time within CYA and are 18 years or older to Adult Prisons. And after they are done serving there time for that case in Adult Prison CYA wants them back for the case that sent them to CYA. That is how gangs got started in CYA.

[Jack Kirkpatrick]

Thou fencing gambit was a pas touche. The foiled was parried on Classmates profile long ago; a counter thrust was my reply -- touche! I walk away unharmed...

But little do we know or think we know and never take too much seriously or personally -- it makes for better interpersonal relationships!

[Jack Kirkpatrick]

Once again, another escape from Camp Glenwood.

The Sheriff’s office has reported an escape from Camp Glenwood boys’ detention facility in La Honda at about noon today." First report was that it was a "walkaway," but we should know better by now. Any out of supervision and off grounds should be treated as an escape and a petition should be filed and later sustain with a comcommtant punishment for the escape. At minimum, that should be a locked down facility unless mitigating factors preceeded the escape and no administrator of counselor was available to intervene.

I again urge that Camp Glenwood be closed down until properly secured with double fencing and increase line-of-sight supervision and increase surveillance! It is now time to return all inmates place there to the Youth Service Center and open a secure unit at the old Hillcrest facility. Catch-if-Catch-Can is a motto for inmates in any facility and that is true of juvenile inmates at Camp Glenwood though they may parse the phase differently.

"One of the suspects in the recent murder of a Redwood City teenager was an escapee of Camp Glenwood, a medium-security facility run by the San Mateo County Probation Department" so goes the story! Loren Buddress, former Chief Probation Officer, claims that there are few walk-away's from Camp Glenwood, I bet that is data is skewed - there are a number of walk-aways that return either quickly or return within hours. Who knows how the inmates were debriefed or even if they left if staff have poor random and scheduled case count procedures.

Don't believe Camp Glenwood is a medium security facility by any reach of the imigination, though someone reported it as such.

I also bet there are a number of out-of-bound inmates where supervision was lost by staff possiby caused by inmate designed distrations as was done in the YSC escape of a inmate juvenile being tried as an adult.

It may be difficult to track people out there to see if the integrity of the facility was breached, but 50 foot of continuous dense, low height vegetation could be maintained to see if anyone breached the facility's boundaries. This vegetation, if disturbed, would be a first clue that the area is being tested or used for untoward behavior.

It is true, that local wildlife may breach the area, but broken or mashed vegetation probably would reveal direction of the breach and even the type of animal that breached it thus ruling out human activity. Plowing and furling the out of bounds area might not be as effective because disturbed areas are easily covered over while some vegetation recovers fairly quickly.

Boundary control requires random and planned searches and disturbance just outside the boundary. That should be reviewed and photographed for second opinions. Disturbed areas should be noted in the daily log and walked by staff and logged during morning and evening and randomly during the day. It is also important to note that people may walk into the area to provided secreted contraband just outside the boundary for inmates or throw contraband just inside or close to the boundary.

San Francisco's Log Cabin... and probably the old Hidden Valley facility which is mothballed or being used by another agency are subject to the same breach and walk-away problems. There have been several multiple escapes from the SF facility this year!

The escape from the Youth Service Center (previously noted) probably had assistance as the boundary fence was cut -- there was more sophistication in this breach; Camp Glenwood is just isolated and not secure at all.

Again, it nearly all comes down to conduct comprehensive compliance reviews and audit. The Youth Service Center need $300,000 to add security fences, cameras, retrain staff and improve polices and procedures...! Don't be fooled by the argument that unfenced facilities increase rehabilitation and there are no longitudinal studies to support the recedivism rate of those that graduate from Camp Glenwood or Log Cabin. Nearly all of the old San Mateo County commitments to the state prison who had juvenile records were at Camp Glenwood. The camp is a good intermediate intervention, but it must be secured even if an inmate thinks of it as a prison. They are there as "one of many" last chances!

Was La Honda notified by phone or siren of the escape? I doubt it, but.... When was the last alert test at the YSC where there is high public density? What would the after action report reveal about the test?

[Jack Kirkpatrick]

Dear Editors and the People of San Mateo County:

It is time to close Camp Glenwood this month and return all of the inmates to the Youth Service Center for rehabilitation!

Nothing has changed - 4 escapees this time demonstrates a lack of staff supervision. Build a double fence, add video and roving supervision. Until that is done, no more commitments to the facility.

The new Chief Probation Officer, Stu Forrest, has no chance of getting a handle on this problem until major reforms, policies and rebuilding of this facility is completed. We are using outdated facilities to use undated programming, but they have to complement one another and they just don't. A walk-away facility no longer serves the public as they did in the 1960s. The tone and attitudes are hardened by many of the juveniles today and going to CYA or today's California Department Of Corrections and Rehabilitation - Juvenile Justice Division is not an option to deter escapes!

It is time for a comprehensive Compliance Review of our court and probation system. That audit should establish a baseline of performance and deficiencies should be corrected in 120 days and in a year, another audit should be performed to measure result to start a longitudinal study so we can have a history of what is really going on.

If the BOS, the Juvenile Court and the probation department can't do this, then it is time to go back to the Grand Jury whose last finding on Camp Glenwood was flawed!

It is also time to clean up the old Hillcrest Facility next to the YSC - get probation community service work crews out to clean up and set things in order. Well over a year ago, this facility, I am told was in the process of being deconstructed. It is time it was done or turn the facility into a working rehabilitation model for some program.

[Michael Stogner]

did a story on the Camp Glenwood escapees today, He was able to interview Lt. Ray Lunny of the Sheriff's Department, who explained that we sent our best officer to track them down, that would be Officer Morgan the dog, who couldn't find the scent. The other people missing from his report were the people responsible for the Camp. They refused to respond to his calls.

[nitamac]

Jack~ you maybe right about camp Glenwood needing better security, but that is about all you know about when it comes to the whole Juvenile system!

[nitamac]

Once again, another escape from Camp Glenwood.

The Sheriff’s office has reported an escape from Camp Glenwood boys’ detention facility in La Honda at about noon today." First report was that it was a "walkaway," but we should know better by now. Any out of supervision and off grounds should be treated as an escape and a petition should be filed and later sustain with a comcommtant punishment for the escape. At minimum, that should be a locked down facility unless mitigating factors preceeded the escape and no administrator of counselor was available to intervene.

I again urge that Camp Glenwood be closed down until properly secured with double fencing and increase line-of-sight supervision and increase surveillance! It is now time to return all inmates place there to the Youth Service Center and open a secure unit at the old Hillcrest facility. Catch-if-Catch-Can is a motto for inmates in any facility and that is true of juvenile inmates at Camp Glenwood though they may parse the phase differently.

"One of the suspects in the recent murder of a Redwood City teenager was an escapee of Camp Glenwood, a medium-security facility run by the San Mateo County Probation Department" so goes the story! Loren Buddress, former Chief Probation Officer, claims that there are few walk-away's from Camp Glenwood, I bet that is data is skewed - there are a number of walk-aways that return either quickly or return within hours. Who knows how the inmates were debriefed or even if they left if staff have poor random and scheduled case count procedures.

Don't believe Camp Glenwood is a medium security facility by any reach of the imigination, though someone reported it as such.

I also bet there are a number of out-of-bound inmates where supervision was lost by staff possiby caused by inmate designed distrations as was done in the YSC escape of a inmate juvenile being tried as an adult.

It may be difficult to track people out there to see if the integrity of the facility was breached, but 50 foot of continuous dense, low height vegetation could be maintained to see if anyone breached the facility's boundaries. This vegetation, if disturbed, would be a first clue that the area is being tested or used for untoward behavior.

It is true, that local wildlife may breach the area, but broken or mashed vegetation probably would reveal direction of the breach and even the type of animal that breached it thus ruling out human activity. Plowing and furling the out of bounds area might not be as effective because disturbed areas are easily covered over while some vegetation recovers fairly quickly.

Boundary control requires random and planned searches and disturbance just outside the boundary. That should be reviewed and photographed for second opinions. Disturbed areas should be noted in the daily log and walked by staff and logged during morning and evening and randomly during the day. It is also important to note that people may walk into the area to provided secreted contraband just outside the boundary for inmates or throw contraband just inside or close to the boundary.

San Francisco's Log Cabin... and probably the old Hidden Valley facility which is mothballed or being used by another agency are subject to the same breach and walk-away problems. There have been several multiple escapes from the SF facility this year!

The escape from the Youth Service Center (previously noted) probably had assistance as the boundary fence was cut -- there was more sophistication in this breach; Camp Glenwood is just isolated and not secure at all.

Again, it nearly all comes down to conduct comprehensive compliance reviews and audit. The Youth Service Center need $300,000 to add security fences, cameras, retrain staff and improve polices and procedures...! Don't be fooled by the argument that unfenced facilities increase rehabilitation and there are no longitudinal studies to support the recedivism rate of those that graduate from Camp Glenwood or Log Cabin. Nearly all of the old San Mateo County commitments to the state prison who had juvenile records were at Camp Glenwood. The camp is a good intermediate intervention, but it must be secured even if an inmate thinks of it as a prison. They are there as "one of many" last chances!

Was La Honda notified by phone or siren of the escape? I doubt it, but.... When was the last alert test at the YSC where there is high public density? What would the after action report reveal about the test?
Get off your soap box!

[Jack Kirkpatrick]

Cognition and Camp Glenwood

Someone in another competitors newspaper said: "These were 'dumbass' kids."

Wrong by every measure in the criminal community and those individuals with a propensity to commit crimes!

These were "smartass kids" with the emphasis on smart! They knew individually and collectively how to escape and walking away is an easy escape from personal and social responsibility. Their cognitive reasoning was used in making there decisions and it is that very cognitive programming at Camp Glenwood that offers them skills in consequences, improving intellect... and rehabilitation. They are committed to Camp Glenwood because they are not models for community and individual responsibility. The court found that they cannot remain free in the community (a reqirement of the court by law); otherwise, the court would have made a judgement of least consewuences.

For those that don't know what cognitive programming is, here is the "drill-of-the-day:"

Cognitive programs goals are "sustaining attention, thinking before acting, visual and auditory processing, listening, reading - areas in which ADHD individuals [and others] often experience difficulties. If an individual is having attention or learning problems, tutoring or drill and practice in academic areas are often not effective. The principle underlying cognitive training is to help improve the 'core' abilities and self-control necessary before an individual can function successfully academically. The exercises "drill for skill" directly in the areas where basic specific cognitive difficulties occur."

This escape was a drill for skill in manipulating staff and other criminals to take advantage of weaknesses in the system, weakness in other people and weakness in their own self-control.

I never knew an inmate that wasn't smarter after being incarcerated whether in the classroom or in individual and group therapy programs. In fact, they usually become more dangerous and carry the negative aspect to advance their criminal behavior, though that was never a goal or Camp Glenwood's mission. There are unintended consequences to programming. I am not willing to play with public protection in open facilities where this training is available. There are many other way to test self-restraint, academic performance and application of cognitive skills.

Besides, many inmates pump iron and become stronger, posture to protect themselves and attack when threatened. That makes them ripe to exploit their vulnerable peers, develop plans and build consensus; this places the public at a far greater risk when they escape or reenter society.

Close Camp Glenwood until you can properly staff, fence, program and offer much more improved security. Gang members (three are suspected Nortenos) should be precluded from open institutions based upon a major gang problem in San Mateo. The courts said that they improved their screening, but gang affiiliation should be a highly negative disqualifier - gang bangers are nortorious for collective behavior, some of which are criminal just to become a gang member! They are then expected to jump into any fray with their cohorts or plan and carry out criminal activities.

We need not remind the court and the juvenile probation department that they told the public, they are increasing staff and reducing population. Four escaps (last case count made public was 28 when they reopened the camp) is a high percentage of escapes and who knows whether the staff to inmate ratio improved at a critical time and evening movement where teacher and other staff flee into the night only to return the next work day!

Since there was a possible car used to expedite the escape - I bet a staff cell phone or land line was used or one was smuggled into the camp. This escape just didn't happen - it was part of the inmates cognitive drill.

[nitamac]

Cognition and Camp Glenwood

Someone in another competitors newspaper said: "These were 'dumbass' kids."

Wrong by every measure in the criminal community and those individuals with a propensity to commit crimes!

These were "smartass kids" with the emphasis on smart! They knew individually and collectively how to escape and walking away is an easy escape from personal and social responsibility. Their cognitive reasoning was used in making there decisions and it is that very cognitive programming at Camp Glenwood that offers them skills in consequences, improving intellect... and rehabilitation. They are committed to Camp Glenwood because they are not models for community and individual responsibility. The court found that they cannot remain free in the community (a reqirement of the court by law); otherwise, the court would have made a judgement of least consewuences.

For those that don't know what cognitive programming is, here is the "drill-of-the-day:"

Cognitive programs goals are "sustaining attention, thinking before acting, visual and auditory processing, listening, reading - areas in which ADHD individuals [and others] often experience difficulties. If an individual is having attention or learning problems, tutoring or drill and practice in academic areas are often not effective. The principle underlying cognitive training is to help improve the 'core' abilities and self-control necessary before an individual can function successfully academically. The exercises "drill for skill" directly in the areas where basic specific cognitive difficulties occur."

This escape was a drill for skill in manipulating staff and other criminals to take advantage of weaknesses in the system, weakness in other people and weakness in their own self-control.

I never knew an inmate that wasn't smarter after being incarcerated whether in the classroom or in individual and group therapy programs. In fact, they usually become more dangerous and carry the negative aspect to advance their criminal behavior, though that was never a goal or Camp Glenwood's mission. There are unintended consequences to programming. I am not willing to play with public protection in open facilities where this training is available. There are many other way to test self-restraint, academic performance and application of cognitive skills.

Besides, many inmates pump iron and become stronger, posture to protect themselves and attack when threatened. That makes them ripe to exploit their vulnerable peers, develop plans and build consensus; this places the public at a far greater risk when they escape or reenter society.

Close Camp Glenwood until you can properly staff, fence, program and offer much more improved security. Gang members (three are suspected Nortenos) should be precluded from open institutions based upon a major gang problem in San Mateo. The courts said that they improved their screening, but gang affiiliation should be a highly negative disqualifier - gang bangers are nortorious for collective behavior, some of which are criminal just to become a gang member! They are then expected to jump into any fray with their cohorts or plan and carry out criminal activities.

We need not remind the court and the juvenile probation department that they told the public, they are increasing staff and reducing population. Four escaps (last case count made public was 28 when they reopened the camp) is a high percentage of escapes and who knows whether the staff to inmate ratio improved at a critical time and evening movement where teacher and other staff flee into the night only to return the next work day!

Since there was a possible car used to expedite the escape - I bet a staff cell phone or land line was used or one was smuggled into the camp. This escape just didn't happen - it was part of the inmates cognitive drill.
How they are able to arrange for a car to pick them up is...
After an inmate has served so much time with out having any write-ups (good behavior) they are able to leave the camp and go home for the weekend. Camp Glenwood is a cake walk for these kids. Camp Glenwood is supposed to be San Mateo most strategic place to send a TROUBLED juvenile. If camp Glenwood doesn’t work the next step is CYA and this is the place where they learn all about how real gang member act. Let me say this it’s not Juvenile hall or camp Glenwood where these kids learn how to become gang members they have no clue what there in for. Once they make it to the big house it’s no joke and they are now messing with the big boys (the real gang sh_t) it is a very scary place!

[Jack Kirkpatrick]

The literature and After Action Reports are repleat about planned escapes; many are not - they are opportunities like loose change or a cell phone laying around while another is working or distracted!

Cell phones are easy to smuggle in, throwing one over a fence to be picked up later, family visits and messages passed during those visits, letters and code with any of the contacts with the outside world.

Sometimes released or forloughed inmates pass plans on....

Messages are passed in very sophistcated ways - strings, waight and paper... passed over a floor.

We know that one escape may have had assistance on a juvenile who escaped from YSC - pre-cutting of fence lines, vehicle on the premeter. Also in the latest there was a car that was unaccounted for, but observed and the liscense probably was not recorded....

The old CPO told the public they only had one walkaway a month; the Grand Jury said there was over 40 escapes since 2006 and those were the ones recorded and that brings us to reliability of reporting procedures.

Let's face it, the BOS, Grand Jury the Juvenile Court and probation, and some in the public are under a false sense of security and there is some old hat thinking that is not improving the mission of the juvenile justice system. Is it delusional - I don't think so, but maybe....!

"The civil grand jury recommended the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to keep Camp Glenwood an unfenced honor camp. Supervisor Mark Church agrees with the recommendation. “Putting up a fence would change the culture and environment of the facility,” Church said. “Most kids progress well and are returned home to their parents after being provided with the tools for success. A fence, Church said, would defeat the purpose of an “honor camp.”

But here is the first flaw in the thinking of both the BOS, the GJ and the courts: “If the facility is fenced it may ultimately house more serious offenders,” Church said. “And there is no guarantee a fence would prevent walkaways.”

Another flawed sense of thinking is: Glenwood Camp is a treatment environment and is not meant to be a lock-up facility, Forrest said. “My main concern is getting them back safe and hopefully they don’t do anything to get in more trouble,” Forrest said.

The first mission is public safety and everthing follows from that mission element!

In a letter written to the Board of Supervisors dated Nov. 3, 2008, the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission stated that “a fence is not a guarantee there will be no escapes, and it could lull staff into a false sense of security resulting in more walkaways, not less.” The Probation Department also initially discussed, with the Juvenile Court and the Board of Supervisors, fencing Glenwood at an approximate cost of $930,000, but decided that with the implementation of new policies and procedures, fencing the premises would not be necessary, according to the civil grand jury report" is the third flaw!

This third never materialized as I pointed out in a prior post on cognition! I bet staffing to inmate ration has not really impoved in a 24/7 period, the policies are written, but not adherred to - collective gang membership by three of the four escapees...!

CYA or the Juvenile Justice Division of CDCR is generally not a commitment option based upon escapes. The criteria to send violators is very narrow now and has been for several years! The court know this and that is whay it is a thorny issue - CYA has been removed from the options and I might agree that it should be. It was runined by gangs and institutional staff that acted unprofessionally in controlling inmates. You cannot have much programming if gangs are interdicting or undermining programs and opportunities to change if an inmate wants to seriously change for the better!

[nitamac]

The literature and After Action Reports are repleat about planned escapes; many are not - they are opportunities like loose change or a cell phone laying around while another is working or distracted!

Cell phones are easy to smuggle in, throwing one over a fence to be picked up later, family visits and messages passed during those visits, letters and code with any of the contacts with the outside world.

Sometimes released or forloughed inmates pass plans on....

Messages are passed in very sophistcated ways - strings, waight and paper... passed over a floor.

We know that one escape may have had assistance on a juvenile who escaped from YSC - pre-cutting of fence lines, vehicle on the premeter. Also in the latest there was a car that was unaccounted for, but observed and the liscense probably was not recorded....

The old CPO told the public they only had one walkaway a month; the Grand Jury said there was over 40 escapes since 2006 and those were the ones recorded and that brings us to reliability of reporting procedures.

Let's face it, the BOS, Grand Jury the Juvenile Court and probation, and some in the public are under a false sense of security and there is some old hat thinking that is not improving the mission of the juvenile justice system. Is it delusional - I don't think so, but maybe....!

"The civil grand jury recommended the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to keep Camp Glenwood an unfenced honor camp. Supervisor Mark Church agrees with the recommendation. “Putting up a fence would change the culture and environment of the facility,” Church said. “Most kids progress well and are returned home to their parents after being provided with the tools for success. A fence, Church said, would defeat the purpose of an “honor camp.”

But here is the first flaw in the thinking of both the BOS, the GJ and the courts: “If the facility is fenced it may ultimately house more serious offenders,” Church said. “And there is no guarantee a fence would prevent walkaways.”

Another flawed sense of thinking is: Glenwood Camp is a treatment environment and is not meant to be a lock-up facility, Forrest said. “My main concern is getting them back safe and hopefully they don’t do anything to get in more trouble,” Forrest said.

The first mission is public safety and everthing follows from that mission element!

In a letter written to the Board of Supervisors dated Nov. 3, 2008, the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission stated that “a fence is not a guarantee there will be no escapes, and it could lull staff into a false sense of security resulting in more walkaways, not less.” The Probation Department also initially discussed, with the Juvenile Court and the Board of Supervisors, fencing Glenwood at an approximate cost of $930,000, but decided that with the implementation of new policies and procedures, fencing the premises would not be necessary, according to the civil grand jury report" is the third flaw!

This third never materialized as I pointed out in a prior post on cognition! I bet staffing to inmate ration has not really impoved in a 24/7 period, the policies are written, but not adherred to - collective gang membership by three of the four escapees...!

CYA or the Juvenile Justice Division of CDCR is generally not a commitment option based upon escapes. The criteria to send violators is very narrow now and has been for several years! The court know this and that is whay it is a thorny issue - CYA has been removed from the options and I might agree that it should be. It was runined by gangs and institutional staff that acted unprofessionally in controlling inmates. You cannot have much programming if gangs are interdicting or undermining programs and opportunities to change if an inmate wants to seriously change for the better!
Jack~ You are wrong about CYA being removed as an option. There is only one program that works and that is the program choices. It's to bad they don't have choices in our juvenile hall and camp glenwood. I know for a fact that choices can make a differance.

[Jack Kirkpatrick]

Jack~ You are wrong about CYA being removed as an option. There is only one program that works and that is the program choices. It's to bad they don't have choices in our juvenile hall and camp glenwood. I know for a fact that choices can make a differance.

That is why we are here "choices make a differences" and bad choices make a bigger difference if one employes the cognitive treatment program - to many just become harden criminals. A captiive audience is no better off than a audience that walks out on help and those that fear that the consequences of a CYA commitment a reaso to stay. A lot of inmates know how to play the game - do my time even if I have to stand on my head - I'll be out and revert to my criminal behavior! And they too often do.

It is not worth the curent cost to keep Camp Glenwood open and there are no long term studies to prove otherwise. That is why we need to track everything in long term compliance reviews and audits conducted years and followed forever!

It is not a requirement that I am wrong or right - it is all about public safety and if a citizen doesn't want to enter into our social contract as set for in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the laws emanating from them, so be it. Only the DI & C, and laws count. That determines our rights and options and if options fail, more rigerous laws impose more rigorous sanctions.

CYA can reject any court order of commitment with cause. Generally speaking a minor offense is rejected, CYA only accepts on the entire record of the defendant/inmate.