House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, is lashing out at a state study aimed at finding savings in the juvenile correction system by closing either Maple Lane in Grand Mound or Green Hill in Chehalis.

    DeBolt said in a release that the state study into how best to achieve savings was too narrowly focused to provide credible recommendations.

    According to a release, DeBolt has also penned a letter to Gov. Chris Gregoire expressing objections to the direction provided to the contractor conducting the study by the governor’s Office of Financial Management and Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration.

    The study was limited to the review of only two facilities, a move DeBolt said is the result of political motivations.

    “The contractor conducting this study should have been given sufficient information and latitude to identify the best alternatives for achieving savings in the system, while maintaining services for juveniles and protecting public safety,” DeBolt said in the release. “A study conducted just four years ago showed closing a facility in Naselle was the most practical alternative. Yet this study did not even consider that option. Unfortunately, this review has been politicized and so you can’t expect a result that will be in the best interest of the taxpayers.”

    The Naselle Youth Camp had been identified for closure in the previous study, and that recommendation was held by the JRA as the state tussled with a growing budget deficit during the last legislative session. The results of the new study are expected to be presented to Gregoire in November.

    DeBolt said the legislation authorizing the study did not rule out looking at other more viable ways to achieve savings. He said the bid submitted by the contractor conducting the study specifically recommended identifying “potentially feasible alternatives.”

    “The contractor even raised warnings about looking too narrowly at this issue, but the governor’s administration did not give them the opportunity to conduct a more thorough review,” DeBolt said in the release. “I understand that the governor and budget writers in the majority party have banked on savings to balance the budget by closing one of the state’s juvenile facilities. But treating juveniles and protecting public safety are not responsibilities the state can afford to compromise. We need a study that will lead to the best decisions for the public, not a political exercise with predetermined results.”

    Eric Schwartz: (360) 807-8245