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Minority Leader calls into
question review of juvenile facilities
DeBolt says narrow parameters will produce flawed
results
A state study into how
best to achieve savings in the state’s juvenile correction system was
too narrowly focused to provide credible recommendations, according to
state
House
Minority Leader Richard DeBolt.
In a
letter to Gov. Christine Gregoire, DeBolt expressed
strong objections to the direction provided to the contractor conducting
the study by the governor’s Office of Financial Management and Juvenile
Rehabilitation Administration. He said the contractor was not given
broad enough parameters to conduct a reliable study. Consequently, the
study was limited to a review of closing one of two facilities – Green
Hill and Maple Lane.
“The contractor conducting this study should
have been given sufficient information and latitude to identify the best
alternatives for achieving savings in the system, while maintaining
services for juveniles and protecting public safety,” said
DeBolt, R-Chehalis. “A study conducted just four years ago
showed closing a facility in Naselle was the most practical alternative.
Yet this study did not even consider that option. Unfortunately, this
review has been politicized and so you can’t expect a result that will
be in the best interest of the taxpayers.”
The legislation that
authorized the study specifically called for a review of Green Hill and
Maple Lane. But DeBolt said it did not rule out looking
at other more viable ways to achieve savings. In fact, the bid submitted
by the contractor conducting the study specifically recommended
identifying “potentially feasible alternatives.”
“The contractor
even raised warnings about looking too narrowly at this issue, but the
governor’s administration did not give them the opportunity to conduct a
more thorough review,” he said. “I understand that the governor and
budget writers in the majority party have banked on savings to balance
the budget by closing one of the state’s juvenile facilities. But
treating juveniles and protecting public safety are not responsibilities
the state can afford to compromise. We need a study that will lead to
the best decisions for the public, not a political exercise with
predetermined results.”
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For more information, contact:
John Handy, Deputy Communications
Director - (360) 786-5758
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