This strategy came out of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, established last year to evaluate ways to enhance public safety through the most efficient and effective use of limited state resources. It focuses on the Department of Public Welfare’s Youth Development Centers.
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission and the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) worked collaboratively on the plan. It will redirect investments into:
- Effective prevention and intervention programs for at-risk children;
- Strengthening Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system through accurate risk assessment and targeted interventions with high-risk juvenile offenders; and
- Training programs for juvenile offenders that will help move them into employment.
The plan entails the closure of the New Castle Youth Development Center, a secure 100-bed facility for delinquent boys. Referrals to the center have drastically decreased over the last several years, with only 31 juveniles housed there as of Jan. 1. The facility costs taxpayers more than $19.4 million annually, at a cost of $725 per day per child. The closure of this center on Feb. 15 and relocation of its residents will result in $73 million in taxpayer savings over five years.
A team from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) will be assisting workforce development staff and local PA CareerLinks® in providing services to make this transition as seamless as possible.
The Departments of Community and Economic Development and General Services will work together with local government, community and business organizations to examine and market the property for resale or redevelopment.
Under a larger strategy to achieve better outcomes for Pennsylvania’s youth, the initiative will continue to focus on the specific needs of children by using more effective treatment and prevention methods toward the goal of reducing recidivism. This will include assessing the individual risks and needs of each delinquent youth, ensure community protection, and identify a continuum of high-quality, innovative services for youthful offenders.
For more information, visit http://www.pa.gov.