Doing a Better Job for Children

The Orange County facility that houses neglected or abused children is overcrowded. So is the jail that handles youngsters who run afoul of the law. That may sound familiar, given the county’s overcrowded adult jails, but in some ways it is more worrisome.

When it comes to steering people away from a life of crime, intervention at an early age is better. Just locking youngsters up, or not treating their emotional needs when they have been abused, increases the odds that they will wind up behind bars in the future. We all suffer when that happens.

Orangewood, the shelter for mistreated children, has done a fine job since opening more than a decade ago. It was built with private funds and is a testament to the county’s generosity.

But overcrowding is a perennial problem at Orangewood. Officials of children’s advocacy groups contend that merely expanding the building or erecting an additional structure is not the answer. The children’s advocates say that educating parents so they do not abuse or neglect their children is the real need.

That is a good philosophy, but the county is sadly lacking in other programs too--those that attack poverty, drug use and mental illness. Until it does better, more beds at Orangewood or another building are needed. County officials need to identify a source of money for expansion or launch a campaign for private donations similar to the one that got the original facility built.

Money is also a problem at Juvenile Hall, where the county Probation Department has long faced overcrowding. Recently the situation has worsened. In a facility designed for 374 youngsters, the inmate count a few weeks ago topped 500. That forces probation officers to work overtime, which costs the county money. It also threatens the safety of the staff and the youngsters. In addition, judges order county officials to release juvenile offenders early when the hall and camps become overcrowded. Those early releases send a bad message to offenders, telling them that maybe society does not consider their crimes to be quite as serious as it claims.

At the upcoming county budget hearings, the Board of Supervisors will need to look at all the law enforcement programs and see if more money can be diverted to the Probation Department. Residents should also look again at how the county can improve the treatment of abused or neglected children, who are not wrongdoers but victims.