Supervisors to Expand Juvenile Forestry Camp

County supervisors Tuesday approved expansion of the Los Pinos Forestry Camp for juvenile offenders to offset the impending loss of 30 beds at Juvenile Hall.

The expansion had been recommended in a report to the supervisors that noted continued overcrowding at Juvenile Hall, despite programs to alleviate the problem.

Last year, the 344-bed facility in Orange was overcrowded by up to 40 youngsters 153 days out of the year, or 42% of the time, according to the report from the Orange county administrative office and the Probation Department.

Overcrowding worsened during the first three months of this year, with the hall running beyond capacity 55% of the time, or 45 days in the period from Jan. 1 to March 22, the report said.

To ease such overcrowding, the county has increased the number of beds at Juvenile Hall, tightened admission criteria and initiated programs to allow youngsters that otherwise would have been arrested to remain at home with electronic bracelets to monitor them.

There are also plans to build a new 60-bed intake facility when a new Juvenile Justice Center is built. But county officials said construction would mean demolition of a 30-bed wing of the hall.

The new center would also mean demolition of the old Albert Sitton Home, where up to 18 youthful offenders are being housed. The new Juvenile Justice Center, which will include a new juvenile and family court, is not expected to be completed until 1991.

The expansion approved Tuesday for Los Pinos--in Cleveland National Forest off Ortega Highway--would replace the beds lost at Juvenile Hall, with two more beds added. Space to replace the 18 beds at the Sitton home is being sought elsewhere.

In addition to expanding Los Pinos, the report recommended that officials work with nearby counties to establish a regional center to care for juvenile offenders who are emotionally disturbed.