Time capsule was installed in 1966, including items from then-Governor Pat Brown
STOCKTON – The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) today marked the 25th anniversary of the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility and the 50th anniversary of the O.H. Close School for Boys (now O.H. Close Youth Correctional Facility) with the opening of a time capsule placed into a wall 50 years ago.
“O.H. Close and N.A. Chaderjian have had some challenging times over the years and now are model institutions. I’m proud of the progress both facilities have made as we celebrate these significant anniversaries,” CDCR Secretary Scott Kernan said.
In 1965, the Northern California Youth Center (NCYC) opened near Stockton. The following year, O.H. Close School for boys opened within NCYC. That same year, a letter and signed photograph from then-California Governor Pat Brown, father of current Governor Jerry Brown, were placed in a time capsule along with 25 other items, including photographs of the first youth graduate as well as a picture of the facility administrators.
The anniversaries come soon after the successful termination of the Farrell lawsuit against the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) which operates the Close and Chaderjian facilities. On January 16, 2003, Margaret Farrell, a taxpayer in the state of California filed a lawsuit against the director of what was then called the California Youth Authority (CYA). The suit claimed CYA was expending funds on policies, procedures and practices that were illegal under state law. Farrell also claimed that CYA failed in its statutory duties to provide adequate treatment and rehabilitation for juvenile offenders in its care. The lawsuit also alleged that the youth offenders were denied adequate medical, dental and mental health care.
On November 19, 2004, the parties entered into a consent decree in which DJJ agreed to develop and implement six detailed remedial plans in the following areas: safety and welfare, mental health, education, sexual behavior treatment, health care, dental
services and youth with disabilities. One of the most important reforms was the implementation of the Integrated Behavior Treatment Model (IBTM), a comprehensive approach to assessing, understanding and treating youth. The IBTM helps reduce institutional violence and the risk of future criminal behavior.
“The remediation plan under the Farrell suit was one of the most far reaching in American juvenile justice history,” DJJ Director Michael Minor said. “Our treatment programs are now evidence-based and we are focused on helping our youth learn and develop the skills they need to succeed when they return to their community.”
On February 25, 2016, an Alameda Superior Court Judge terminated the Farrell lawsuit against DJJ (as successor to the CYA) on the basis of the work that has been done to promote positive programs to rehabilitate youth in the juvenile justice system.
“The culture in our facilities has shifted significantly,” said Minor. “I am proud to say that DJJ is once again one of the most progressive juvenile corrections systems in the nation.”
DJJ provides education and treatment to California’s youthful offenders up to the age of 23 who have the most serious criminal backgrounds and most intense treatment needs. Most juvenile offenders today are committed to county facilities in their home community where they can be closer to their families and local social services that are vital to rehabilitation.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2016
CONTACT: Joe Orlando
(916) 445-4950
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