County Planners OK Addition to Rural Youth Jail

Over the objections of two dozen residents, the Orange County Planning Commission on Friday approved a plan to more than double the size of a Trabuco Canyon youth detention facility.

Joplin Youth Center’s mission is to give teens who have been in trouble a second chance by providing a haven away from gangs and other negative influences. But for those who live near the 338-acre compound, the county Probation Department’s proposal, including a new road, would bring unwanted traffic, spoil the area’s rural charm and possibly put residents, hikers and horseback riders at risk from escapees.

The plan for the new Rancho Potrero Leadership Academy calls for dormitories and classrooms for 90 nonviolent youthful offenders and an administration building for teachers and therapists. Joplin now houses 64 youths. The Board of Supervisors is set to vote on the proposal Nov. 6.

Some residents said they have been fighting the proposal for two years and won’t give up.

“The project is wrong in so many ways,” said Lori Hornback, a Trabuco Canyon resident. “It doesn’t make sense financially, environmentally or educationally.”

Probation officials say the expansion is vital.

“We know there is going to be a 28% increase in the teenage population over the next five years, and if crime trends remain the same, we’re projecting a need for 500 to 600 beds,” said Stephanie Lewis, chief probation officer for the county. “I hope the Board of Supervisors realizes how very important this facility is.”

Critics say the project would be too expensive. Costs are projected at $13.5 million for buildings and $4 million to $5 million for the road.

Probation officials have lined up $8.4 million in state funding, and the county would pay the rest. Construction must be completed by December 2003 or the county would forfeit the state money.

Residents are also concerned that the project could easily upset Trabuco Canyon’s environmental balance. County planners responded by requiring that 70% of the compound remain open space and that no more than 90 youths be housed in the new facility.

Some opponents of the plan also argue that, because the compound would be a minimum-security facility, the number of escapes could increase with the facility’s population. Since 1995, there have been 30 escapes, two of them this year, according to county reports.