County to Consider Fund for Juveniles

In an effort to step up juvenile crime prevention and intervention, Ventura County Probation Agency officials are asking supervisors to establish a trust fund to benefit at-risk youths.

Such an account would allow residents and organizations to donate cash directly to Probation Agency programs that serve youths, such as the South Oxnard Challenge Grant Project, Chief Deputy Probation Officer Karen Staples said.

The project’s community center at 200 E. Bard Road--run by the Probation Agency, city of Oxnard and El Concilio nonprofit group--offers counseling, school tutoring and athletic activities among other services for teens.

Since it opened nearly two years ago, organizations and people have wanted to donate money for the purchase of items such as bicycle helmets, books, museum and concert tickets, Staples said.

Without a special account for the teens, however, donations would go into the county’s general fund, Staples said. Supervisors will consider on Tuesday whether to set up the trust fund.