Until last month, judges would send high-risk juvenile
offenders to the Sacramento County Boys Ranch in the rolling
foothills southeast of Folsom. They'd take classes, go through
rehabilitation programs and find time to shoot some hoops.
But in June, the Ranch became one of the highest-profile
casualties of the Board of Supervisors' budget axe. And what
happened to the 86 residents?
Meyer: "Most of them were sent
home. There were only 19 that were detained."
But Probation Chief Don Meyer says his Juvenile Hall
population is starting to trend upwards - meaning some of the early
releases could be returning to the system. And as the Hall
gets more crowded, Meyer says, offenders will have fewer options
for treatment.
Meyer: "They clearly will be put
in programs that don't have the kind of treatment that they
need. Either that, or they'll be put in foster home, group
homes throughout the state of California or outside the
state."
Meyer says the county could reach that point in the next
6-to-12 months.
