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JIJ~'ENILE FACILITY (CENTER STREET CAMPUS) <br />A. FINDINGS <br />1. Marion County is e~cperiencing substantial increases in juvenile criminal <br />activity, and the growth in this activity is outpacing population growth. For example, while <br />Marion County has only about 8 percent of the state's youth population, it is experiencing <br />12 percent of the state's juvenile person crime artests. In the five years from 1988 through <br />1993, the number of crimes charged against juveniles in Marion County more than doubled. <br />2. The ~ group report identified the juvenile facility as in critical need of <br />expansion. The existing facilities are so overcrowded that, in many respects, Marion County <br />no longer has a credible juvenile justice program. <br />3. If a new juvenile facility is to be created, it appears that the best site would <br />be the state-owned five acre parcel immediately adjacent to the existing juvenile facility. <br />B. COST FACTORS <br />1. The cost is estimated at $17.5 million for three pods. The cost of an additional <br />pod would be $1.75 million. <br />2. Concern was expressed about the county's ability to provide additional <br />operating funds for the e~cpanded facility. It was suggested that a new tax base would be <br />required to support this program. <br />C. OPTIONS CONSIDERED <br />1. The committee considered the option of adding new detention and program <br />facilities to the existing building. This option was rejected because the cost savings are small <br />(approximately $500,000) and the staged construction would be disruptive to the existing <br />programs. Some temporary relocation of existing programs would also be required during <br />construction. <br />PAGE 1 <br />ksj/cd/Juvenile. 03/10/95 <br />