By Melissa Joseph in Red Bluff Daily News

RED BLUFF— Chief Probation Officer Richard Muench approached the Tehama County Board of Supervisors Tuesday to request the board’s approval of plans for a Probation Outbuilding Electrical Project, the second half of a workshop project first introduced on June 22, 2021.

According to Muench, the project will provide electrical work from Hood Road to the Juvenile Hall Workshop, a new building constructed behind Juvenile Hall, for youths to utilize for the Secure Track Treatment Program.

As juvenile detention facilities see an increase in incoming youths due to numerous juvenile law changes, including the closure of the Department of Juvenile Justice and proposals to increase the maximum juvenile age to 20 years old, reform has been altered to focus largely on reintegrating youths into the community rather than institutionalizing them.

The new treatment program allows youths the opportunity to grow with a treatment that focuses on the risk and needs of each unique offender. Education, treatment and interventions are offered throughout the program to encourage change and reduce recidivism. Each inmate will be provided a caseworker to help guide them back into the community.

The new building is designed to accommodate instruction with landscaping, gardening and woodworking to give inmates the chance to learn new skills for the job force.

According to Muench, the labor for wiring the shed will be completed by the AB109 crew with the supervision of the Supervising Correctional Counselor and Shaffer, consistent with previous work done to the workshop.

The electrical wiring cost will be paid for by SB823, a Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant program that provides custody, care and supervision for youth who are realigned from the Division of Juvenile Justice or who would have otherwise been eligible for the division.

Any additional staffing or program costs will be added utilizing revenue from the grant or bed fees from contract counties.

The board unanimously approved the plans for the project and a bid opening will be held at 3 p.m. April 12 in the Administrative Office at 727 Oak St., Room 202 in Red Bluff.