Chief Probation Officer Steve Buchholz went before the board to explain that the Corrections Standards Authority found the county's Juvenile Hall out of compliance with its staffing requirements in 2006.
In response, Buchholz said the county approved four new juvenile correctional officer positions for the 40-bed facility in its 2006-07 budget, which was part of a corrective action plan.
Buchholz said he had believed those new positions met the state's requirements, until he received a Sept. 24 letter from the state.
The letter informed him that, based on an Aug. 23 state visit to Juvenile Hall, the facility was again found to be out of compliance, and that the county had been placed on the Corrections Standards Authority board's Nov. 8 agenda. At that meeting, the board was planning to discuss whether or not Lake County's Juvenile Hall was a suitable youth detention facility.
Buchholz was able to convince the state to remove the Juvenile Hall from the agenda, arguing that it was unfair because the state had accepted his department's corrective action plan.
“I think it’s very important we stay off of that agenda for a number of reasons,” Buchholz told the board.
One of those reasons, according to Buchholz's staff report to the board, is that it's an “invitation” for lawsuits against the county by advocacy groups.
His staff report to the board stated that the Corrections Standards Authority “is under intense pressure” from the Prison Law Office, a law firm that has successfully litigated over conditions in adult and juvenile detention facilities.
In order to get off the agenda, Buchholz had to submit a short-term plan to the state by Oct. 26 and a long-term plan by Dec. 18 to address staffing.
Although the Corrections Standards Authority won't give specific staffing directives to the county, Buchholz said they are reevaluating staffing in facilities statewide. In Lake County's case, the authority has redefined the Juvenile Hall as having three separate units, rather than one. The state also is requiring a facility remodel.
Buchholz said his department plans to combine the facility's B and C units into one wing to reduce staffing requirements.
The only question now is if the state fire marshal will approve the plan, said Buchholz.
If the marshal doesn't approve it, they'll have to come up with another course of action, which could include adding more staff or closing down one of the building's wings, he said. The latter option, Buchholz aded, is more likely, considering the “serious problem” of recruitment and retention.
Buchholz said Lake County's problems with the Corrections Standards Authority are minor compared to some other areas. One county just finished building a new youth detention facility and had approved staffing numbers, only to have the state reverse their decision. Another larger county was notified it needed to add 70 staffers.
“This isn’t just Lake County,” said Buchholz. “There’s a movement on statewide to change the way we do business, and unfortunately it’s costing some counties a lot of money.”
Buchholz asked for permission to fill a new senior correctional officer position approved in the 2007-08 budget; the position wasn't to become effective until January. He also asked for a new juvenile correctional officer position.
He didn't ask for additional funds at this time, suggesting instead that adjustments could be made at the mid-year budget review. Buchholz estimated that additional costs due to adding one of the positions will total $35,000 for the fiscal year.
Buchholz told the board, “There is some good news from my point of view.”
Specifically, the problems with the Juvenile Hall and its poor layout, which has been an issue since it opened in June 1982, should help the county get needed grant funding from the state to build a new facility, since the current building can't be easily updated.
A new juvenile hall facility could even become a priority construction project for the state because the current building's design can't be matched to new regulations.
“My best guess is we’re going to be going for a 90-bed facility,” he said.
Buchholz added that he believes he can staff a 90-bed facility with about the same staff they currently have thanks to a better layout.
With the two new positions, the Juvenile Hall now has 18 full-time staffers, plus some part-time help, Buchholz told Lake County News Thursday.
The Probation Department is working with the Criminal Justice Research Foundation, which currently is conducting a full needs assessment to see if a new Juvenile Hall facility is needed, which Buchholz said he is confident is the case.
However, he added, “The new facility is not a guarantee.”
In order to build it, the county must get state grant funding through a competitive process, Buchholz explained.
If the county does get a new facility, Buchholz won't be there to oversee it. He's planning to retire at the end of December, after 31 and a half years with the Probation Department.
The board approved Buchholz's request 4-0, with Supervisor Rob Brown being absent.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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