Southeast : REHAB EXPERIMENT
Jan Williams says she did not feel dejected in September when Norwalk residents criticized the state’s newest approach to rehabilitating mothers with drug problems.
For one thing, she had not tried neighboring Santa Fe Springs.
As siting manager for the state Department of Corrections, Williams had to identify four cities across the state willing to host a temporary home where women convicted of nonviolent felonies can live with their children and undergo a year of strict counseling instead of serving time in prison.
The Norwalk City Council sided with residents in opposing the proposal. So she pitched the idea to neighboring Santa Fe Springs, where recently at least three advisory groups and the City Council voted unanimously to welcome the center.
The $4-million center will be in an industrial area next to a state mental hospital and alcohol abuse treatment center. Construction could start by summer and operation could begin by 1998.
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