“We are always too busy for our children. We lavish gifts upon them; but the most precious gift, our personal association, which means so much to them, we give grudgingly.” —Mark Twain
I had the privilege of being sworn in as a member of the Santa Cruz County Grand Jury during the 2018-19 session, by Superior Court Judge John Gallagher in his personal office. Judge Gallagher took great care explaining the role I would be taking on, and when he saw the look on my face, while smiling, he said it would be fine for me to take a few minutes and walk outside around the courthouse and think about this new commitment I was about to make. “Not necessary,” I answered, “I’m all in.” I didn’t know then what was ahead.
Being a grand jury member, one is required to sign onto two committees; I chose the Fire Department and the Juvenile Justice System.
On a dreary day filled with rain and wind, I was sitting in the backseat of a SUV being driven by another jury member, Ken, and a woman, Val, was alongside. We were on our way to tour the Juvenile Hall on Graham Hill Road in Felton.
I have always loved the upper part of Graham Hill Road, especially while driving past Roaring Camp Railroads; the tree canopy is so beautiful through that part of the drive. That drive was always about the trees, until the day we toured the Juvenile Hall.
That particular day, the population in Juvenile Hall was low. Upon arrival we were briefed on what we should and should not say; however, we were allowed to ask questions of the students while we toured the classroom while the class was in session. There were maybe 10 students in the room along with a teacher.
I suppose, for obvious reasons, there were no windows; the rooms were large, with high ceilings, and when you talked, there was an echo. I felt cold, sad and struggled to hold back tears.
My questions were answered by the young boys, using few words, no enthusiasm nor smiles of any kind. Two were hunched over their desk writing on a piece of paper, not participating at all. We left the quiet room, tears flowed.
The cafeteria, again, a large room with high ceilings and an open kitchen with one gentleman working, not bothering to look up, was preparing sandwiches for lunch. A tiered rack holding many loaves of bread was in its center. Again, our footsteps were the only sound.
We walked down a long corridor, doors on each side with a tiny, barred window and a large lock. Looking through the window, there was a twin bed, a toilet and a sink and a very small window placed high on the wall. I can’t remember any other furniture…a desk, maybe. I don’t remember seeing any colors that day, at all.
The last area we toured was the outside courtyard, the worst of all. All weathered concrete with a basketball net. There was no roof, so when it rained, it was unusable.
When we left, I realized I had been holding my breath so much of the time, I had a headache and burst into more tears.
It has been six years since we three visited the Juvenile Hall, and during those six years driving through the canopy of trees, my thoughts and eyes now look in the direction of the facility while thinking of the young kids incarcerated there.
In our jurisdiction here in Santa Cruz County, we use pretrial confinement (Juvenile Hall) to ensure that young people who have been accused of an offense attend court hearings.
Yet, the University of Washington and the Annie E. Casey Foundation have shown that juvenile detention by even a single day increases a young person’s likelihood of felony recidivism by 33%, and lesser misdemeanors by 11%. Those studies show that for each additional day spent in confinement, recidivism jumps by 1% per day and that young people are thrown off course by even a single day in pretrial detention (Juvenile Hall).
I have been reading about the new Juvenile Hall being constructed funded by Senate Bill 81 to help counties renovate juvenile detention facilities, along with two grants and additional help from the county. There will be a new gym and hall, a garden and a culinary program, as well as a significant upgrade throughout the facility.
This upgrade makes me happy, and I am sure this renovation will go a long way in uplifting the spirit of those it is intended for, our young kids. But I keep thinking back to Mark Twain’s remarks about lavishing gifts, when what they need most is our “personal association.”
The study, “Why Youth Incarceration Fails,” points out six reasons why alternatives to incarceration have been successful in over 300 counties across the U.S. and they all point to Mark Twain’s need for personal association.
My hope is that the Juvenile Justice System will find a way to begin providing more support to the parents and family members of these young offenders.
Trusted mentors, advocates and care coordinators are needed, as well as constructive employment, recreational or community service activities are proven to be successful in reducing incarceration.
This may be the time for us to flood the Probation Office with offers of our donated skills…cooking, gardening, auto mechanics, computer technology, etc., to the new Juvenile Hall.
Please know, dear readers, I am just a lay person with little knowledge of the justice system. I do know, however, what seems to be not working as more beds are being built for our prison facilities. And I do know that a smile, a gentle touch and a hug works wonders when one is in trouble.
Let us, you and I, not be lacking in Mark Twain’s “personal association” with the new Juvenile Hall, and I can smile as I drive Graham Hill Road through the tree canopy once again.
