January 9, 2008
Special Report: State Closing 2 Youth Prisons
Last week we posted 2 articles about the DJJ closings at El Paso de Robles and Dewitt. Below are some articles gathered over the weekend where CCPOA officers and representatives were quoted, expressing the feelings of the union on these closures:
- Dewitt Youth Prison to Close (Quote: Lance Corcoran)
Lance Corcoran, a spokesman for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, said the state officials did not consider its employees - some with years of service - who may now end up driving up to 50 miles for work. Corcoran said he also feared the wards would be crowded together in an attempt to save money: "As usual, this is about short-term dollars, not long-term solutions." FULL ARTICLE - Recordnet.com - Two Youth Prisons to Close (Quote: Ryan Sherman)
Ryan Sherman, a spokesman for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, which represents the youth correctional counselors who staff the juvenile facilities, said that shutting the two prisons doesn't fit with Juvenile Justice's stated goal to break down its remaining population into smaller living units that ultimately would require more overall space. Sherman also said transfers are going to force some youth counselors to take jobs in state prisons working with adults… FULL ARTICLE - SacBee.com - Paso Youth Facility to Close (Quote: Louie Adame)
Louie Adame, a state vice president for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, said the union expects to discuss employment options for his 157 members at the facility. Adame said he expects the state will be able to relocate the workers who want to move within the system. But local options are limited. "There will be plenty of jobs," he said. "It's a matter of how much it disrupts their lives" to move… FULL ARTICLE - SanLuisObispo.com - Youth Correctional Facility Closing in Paso Robles (Quote: Robert Dean)
"We're here for our people and we will see them through the negotiation process that has to take place before any of this is final," said Robert Dean of the California Correctional Peace Officers Assocation… FULL ARTICLE - KSBY.com
