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| Vote To Close Youth Detention Center |
| By BOB JORDAN , FREEHOLD BUREAU, app.com |
| Published: 01/29/2010 |
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Monmouth County freeholders vote to close youth detention center FREEHOLD — The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders in a party-line vote passed a resolution Thursday night to shut down the county's youth detention center by July 1, a move majority Republicans claim will save about $2 million per year as part of a contract with Middlesex County to house detainees there. Fifty-six detention officers and other staffers will lose their jobs. Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry said Middlesex has a modern facility with superior educational and recreation programs. "This is not a cash for kids measure," Burry said. "While it is true there are substantial savings which we cannot discount, especially in this economy, our focus should be, and is, on the many benefits this shared service provides for our troubled youth." The center in Freehold Township — which Burry said is 40 years old and would require $12 million in capital improvements if kept open — had an average daily detainee population of 25 in 2009. The number of detainees has dropped significantly in recent years after Monmouth became one of the first counties in the state to adopt a program that relies on alternatives to detention of young people whose alleged offenses are not considered serious or chronic. The county will pay Middlesex County $2.5 million per year for detention services at its center in North Brunswick. That will reduce Monmouth's average monthly cost per detainee to $11,575 from $18,200, according to Burry. But Democrat John D'Amico Jr., who voted against the measure along with colleague Amy Mallet in the 3-2 vote, said the savings are overstated. D'Amico outlined a number of instances in the new contract that could trigger higher costs. Read More. |
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