Gilroy
– As the county wrestles with improving security at the William
F. James Boys Ranch in Morgan Hill, it’s hoping for $1 million in
federal aid to institute new case management and peer counseling
programs at the Muriel Wright Residential Center in south San
Jose.
Gilroy – As the county wrestles with improving security at the William F. James Boys Ranch in Morgan Hill, it’s hoping for $1 million in federal aid to institute new case management and peer counseling programs at the Muriel Wright Residential Center in south San Jose.
The Wright center houses girls between the ages of 13 and 18 and boys as old as 15. It is located on Bernal Road in southwest San Jose near Santa Teresa Park and IBM.
Santa Clara County Deputy Chief Probation Officer Kathy Duque said the center’s smaller size and younger, mixed population make it a more attractive target for funding than the William F. James Ranch.
“Best practice programs operate better in small capacity facilities,” Duque said. “If we get money, and we’re successful, hopefully we can extended that to the James Ranch.”
The county would use the money to add staff and implement a series of small group case management programs, allowing wards to receive more one-on-one supervision and spend more time in peer-counseling programs that stress individual responsibility and accountability.
Funds also would go toward developing aftercare programs incorporating social workers, psychologists, educators and wards’ families.
The programs are modeled on those used in Missouri, which has received national attention for its low-security, positive reinforcement approach to juvenile rehabilitation with an emphasis on lowering recidivism rates. Currently, nearly four of 10 wards at the Wright Center return to the juvenile justice system after their release.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss said the high recidivism rate is due in part to the county’s failure to adequately address troubles in the lives of Wright Center wards.
“Most of these kids have multiple problems, and if you’re only dealing with the fact that they’ve broken the law, you’re not attacking the whole issue,” Kniss said. “We’re looking for a way to rehabilitate kids so they’re not in and out of our system.”
Kniss said the county will not know until the fall if the $1 million earmark is included in the federal budget.
