Every year Humboldt County Commissioners approve a $60,000 budgetary committment to a juvenile facility for juvenile delinquents in Douglas County. This week, they learned more about where that money goes and how it is used.
The director of the Douglas County facility, called China Springs (boy's section) and Aurora Pines (girl's section), came to Winnemucca and familiarized the commissioners with what the camp is and what they're trying to do for the kids there.
Director Wendy Garrison said the six-month diversion sentencing to the youth camp can give kids who have gotten in significant trouble a chance to really look at the direction their lives are headed - along with the skills and the opportunity to change that direction if they so choose.
Teens aged 12-18 who are eligible for sentencing to China Springs and Aurora Pines youth camps have been convicted of crimes that would be designated felonies if they were adults.
"These are not kids who are in trouble because of curfew violations or truancy, these are kids who have committed crimes such that you don't want them in your neighborhoods," said Garrison.
Juveniles convicted of violent crimes including crimes with guns that result in a death, are generally not eligible, nor are fire-starters (the camps are located in the forest), those convicted of cruelty to animals (working with animals is part of the program), or kids who are a flight risk (the camp is a very minimum security facility).
"The camp operates like a small city," said Garrison. "We have 140 acres located about seven miles south of Gardnerville in the mountains. "We have our own little ecosystem with animals and forest," she added.
China Springs youth camp has room for 40 delinquent boys, and Aurora Pines can handle 16 girls. Garrison said the Aurora Pines actually has room for 24 girls, but funding for only 16 at this time. The camps are co-located, but the programs are not co-ed.
Garrison explained that the kids in the camp are isolated from the outside world for the six months they're there. Garrision said the kids don't wear their own clothes; they all wear clothes from the camp, they aren't allowed any electronic media or phones, they don't wear makeup or blow dry and curl their hair.
"They see the movies we want them to see once a week, and then I turn the movie into treatment; we talk about the movie and its value system," Garrison explained.
"What we want to do with these kids in the six months we have them while they're away from family and friends, not committing any mischief, is to help them change how they think; what they were doing before got them into trouble and we want them to start thinking differently."
The juveniles in the camp continue to go to school.
"There are seventh-graders in with 12th-graders, so that creates a unique education system," Garrison said.
Douglas County School District provides the educators for the year-round school. In summertime, students spend half the day in school and half the day doing wilderness trips, team building activities, and community work projects. They repair bikes for "Project Santa Claus" and do wilderness work.
"The kids find a lot of success in those things," said Garrison. "They haven't had the opportunity or taken the opportunity before to be involved. We encourage them to get involved with those kinds of things in their communities when they get out of the program."
Those with a drug problem are helped with the camp's connection to SAPTA (the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Association).
The board members who help make decisions about camp operation and programs are chief juvenile probation officers such as Ed Sampson in Humboldt County; state juvenile authorities, judges, and commissioners. Garrison told Humboldt County commissioners, "I work for you, I know it's really hard to send money to another county. Every year I hear the question, 'Why are we sending money to a facility in another state?'"
"You're sending money to Douglas County because you own a facility in Douglas County and your kids are in Douglas County and you run a program in Douglas County, you just didn't know it," Garrison explained. "If you have questions, ask them and we'll get you answers, because we know that ultimately you answer to the taxpayers."
Garrison told commissioners she wasn't asking for additional funding, but would appreciate their support with state senators and assemblymen during the upcoming legislative session.
Commissioner Jim French asked what happens to teens who don't successfully complete the camp program.
"We're in a non-secure setting," Garrison said, by way of explaining that the responsibility for their success really lies with the teens. "The only thing keeping the juveniles there is their own integrity and our ability to talk them out of doing something dumb. We tell them what they have to lose should they choose to violate. Occasionally there are kids who test the limits or who are more hardened than they first appeared. If they run away or we have to use physical restraint on them, they fail the program and are sent to state custody and get a parole record."
Commissioner Dan Cassinelli asked if each county had a limit on the number of kids they could put into the program. Garrison answered that there was a formula based on each county's contribution, but added that, in practice, if a county needed more kids in the program, they would try to find a way to make it happen.
Commissioner Mike Bell asked if there were any plans for expansion of the camp. Garrison didn't really think so, under the current economic climate, but said if expansion came they'd be up for it. She noted the facility is old and in need of repair, adding the need for upgrading some parts of the camp is probably more immediate than expanding.
"Juvenile probation officers work really hard to make sure that they only send those who really deserve it and who can really benefit from this camp," said Garrison. "These are kids who have the ability to do what's right for their community and be very successful. If I didn't believe that I wouldn't be there."
"I'm glad you came," Cassinelli told Garrison. "As a commissioner I have asked, 'What is China Springs and why do we send money there?' it's nice to see someone come to explain the program to us."
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