California to Shut its Largest Youth Prison

PJDC salutes the announcement of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) on August 27, 2009 that it will close the state’s largest youth prison, the Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility.  PJDC members and children’s advocates across the state had long criticized the Stark facility in Chino as a prison-like environment that does not provide rehabilitation to juveniles. CDCR officials described the closure as a cost-cutting move in response to a declining population as more youth are committed to county facilities.

The San Jose Mercury News article about the closure is available at:
http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_13216971