Judge Orders Release of Youth Offenders

A judge issued an order Monday allowing the early release of almost four dozen juvenile offenders to ease overcrowding at the county’s correctional facilities for youths.

Under the order by Presiding Juvenile Court Judge Frank F. Fasel, probation officials may release 44 prisoners from the Probation Department’s three camps: the Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana, the Joplin Youth Center in Trabuco Canyon and the Los Pinos Conservation Camp off Ortega Highway.

The camps, which have 310 beds, are filled to capacity, while Juvenile Hall--which has 374 beds--currently houses 418 youths. Recently, administrators have brought in cots to handle the overcrowding problem there.

Youths from Juvenile Hall will be sent to the three camps to open up space there.

Juvenile Hall Director Tom Wright said the early releases will begin today, adding that only youths incarcerated for probation violations would be eligible.

Once released, they will be placed in a daily supervision program under a probation officer.

“It’s a kind of house arrest,” Wright said. “But it’s only available to a kid who has fully cooperated with the program, like attending classes or being involved in a vocational program.”

Overcrowding at the county’s youth correctional facilities has plagued Probation Department officials as the number of youths arrested for violent crimes has soared during the past five years, officials said.

To manage the crisis, authorities expanded Juvenile Hall by 60 beds in 1992. Officials plan to construct 30 more beds at Juvenile Hall this year, but Probation Department officials said that 200 more beds will be needed by the year 2000.