Camp O’Neal: Privately Owned Institution for Juveniles
Camp O’Neal, located next to Convict Lake where the apparent drownings occurred, is a year-round institution for high school-aged juvenile delinquents, most of them spending six to 18 months there, officials said.
Most of the youths at the privately owned camp were referred there by juvenile authorities in the San Joaquin Valley, said one local official. None of the estimated 50 boys now living there come from Mono County or Southern California.
The camp offers classroom studies as well as instruction in skilled trades, such as wood carving. Counselors also are provided to help the boys. In addition to classroom work, many of the youths are assigned tasks away from the camp, including snow clearing and chopping wood in the winter.
Currently, the camp is embroiled in a lawsuit over the proposed construction of a home to house more youths. Opponents of the plan said the home would be located too close to homes near the lake.
But generally, one local official said, the camp is well regarded in the Mammoth Lakes area.
The camp was operated by Mono County authorities until three years when it was sold to private operators, the official said.
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