Don’t Close the Youth Camps

Budget cuts, proposed by Gov. George Deukmejian, would close county juvenile camps across the state. At least 3,000 young offenders would be forced into the overcrowded, more heavily guarded and more expensive facilities of the California Youth Authority. Or teen-age lawbreakers could be returned--without the help they so desperately need--to their old neighborhoods.

The camps, run by the counties, are funded in large part through state aid provided by the County Justice System subvention program. The governor wants to spend only half as much on camps and other local juvenile programs in the next fiscal year as is being spent this year and, in addition, get the money from a fund intended for restitution to victims of violent crime. Neither course is a sound strategy.

Deukmejian takes justifiable pride in his reputation as a law-and-order advocate and in his fiscal prudence. But what he proposes to do would not enhance his reputation for either. Even though the state budget is tight, keeping the camps open makes sense.

Juvenile camps often provide the last chance to help a kid who has stolen a car, broken into a house or snatched a purse from becoming a dangerous, hard-core criminal. The low-risk youngster who is skipping school and breaking laws can often be helped by the strong discipline and effective remedial education provided by the camps, according to Inglewood Juvenile Court Judge Roosevelt Dorn.

In contrast with the Youth Authority, the juvenile camps are a bargain. Operating them costs $17,000 per youngster per year, and the average term is five months. Operating the Youth Authority costs $23,000 a year per inmate, because security is more expensive and the average sentence is 21 months.

Lawmakers, led by Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Los Angeles), are working, with the staunch support of law enforcement groups including the California Sheriffs’ Assn. to restore the budget cuts. They are on the right track.

As the gang problem worsens and drug use intensifies, the governor must not give up on troubled youngsters who can be helped. The governor must find another way to balance the budget or he must increase taxes. The juvenile camps must remain open.