If you’re looking for a weekend trip that can also teach children about consequences, then Sacramento County’s first-ever juvenile hall open house on Saturday, Jan. 30 might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Visitors to the open house can see first-hand how juvenile detainees spend their incarceration. Though visitors will not be able to see or visit with juvenile detainees, the open house will give an inside look at three housing units that have recently been upgraded and renovated.
“Information about Juvenile Hall is largely anecdotal and not always based on facts,” said Chief Probation Officer Don Meyer. “This Open House will allow members of the community to see, first hand, the facility and its structure. It’s an opportunity seldom offered due to the security needs of the facility.”
Approximately 2,911 juveniles age 13-18 spent at least one day at the facility in 2009, and all juveniles who are arrested, booked and considered a “risk to the community” are housed there, a media release from Sacramento County said. Juveniles in detention are supervised through a program that promotes behavior modification, education, recreation and counseling. El Centro Junior and Senior High is an educational program run year-round at the facility, and detainees can earn high school credits while in detention.