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| N.C. Gov. Backs Three Youth Prisons at $90 Million |
| By Charlotte Observer |
| Published: 05/20/2003 |
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Gov. Mike Easley, facing growing criticism and a newly filed lawsuit, said recently he will push for $90 million to build three youth prisons, including one in Concord. The announcement comes in the wake of a recent state audit that found dangerous negligence at the state's five youth prisons. Most of the buildings at the five prisons are more than 60 years old and don't have the security features needed to house the more violent juveniles who fill them, the audit said. 'High-quality youth development centers in North Carolina are critical in being able to help our children turn their lives around so that they can become productive citizens,' Easley said. The proposal, which would have to pass the N.C. House and Senate, would replace the Stonewall Jackson campus in Concord. The new building on the same grounds would have 300 beds and would be the largest youth prison in the state, said Sen. Scott Thomas, D-Craven, who will sponsor a Senate bill. The state would also build 100-bed facilities to replace larger but outdated facilities at Swannanoa Valley near Asheville and at Dobbs in Kinston. A series of sex-abuse allegations last year at the current Swannanoa facility sparked calls for an investigation. A former caretaker was fired after officials received a complaint that poor supervision allegedly allowed the man to repeatedly molest youths in his care. Police later filed criminal sexual assault charges against the man, which are pending. Al Singer, director of the Child Advocacy Commission of Durham, said new prisons won't solve the problems. 'The most pressing need is to get at-risk and delinquent children the help they need,' he said. 'The big investment needs to be in prevention and in small, effective, community-based programs and facilities.' |
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