Jose Arellano, who teaches at Imperial County Probation and Corrections in El Centro, said Monday some juveniles do well, some do not. (JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO / August 2, 2010) |
High school dropouts in the Imperial Valley financially impact the county when they commit crimes, officials said.
Those who don’t achieve a basic high school education and who end up running afoul of the law cost Imperial County taxpayers $5,000 to $10,000 a month if they are placed in group homes that are outside of the county, Gloria Muñoz, juvenile division manager for the Imperial County Probation Department, said.
That’s why probation officers do what they can with at-risk youths who could otherwise financially affect the Imperial Valley as well as the state, county Probation Chief Martin Krizay said.
Juvenile crime impacts law enforcement, the courts and the victims of juvenile crime, officials said.
To combat truancy and other ills that are telltale signs of juvenile delinquency, the county’s probation department is working in close collaboration with the Imperial County Office of Education to find ways of reaching out to at-risk youths, Krizay said.
Also, the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office has assigned prosecutor Eileen Cavil to handle truancy cases that would hold parents accountable, Krizay said.
Cavil was unavailable for comment Monday.
Making parents responsible for the actions of their children is something Probation Officer Antonio Olguin strongly supports.
“We need parents to step to the plate,” Olguin said.
High school dropouts have higher rates of unemployment and higher rates of criminal behavior and incarceration, according to findings of the California Dropout Research Project at University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dropouts also are prone to earn less than those who go on to earn a higher education, are in poorer health and have a higher mortality rate and also have an increased dependence on public assistance, the CDRP’s report found.
There is also an estimated $4.3 billion cost to victims, the report cites.
The report asserts that cutting the state’s dropout rate in half would “generate $12 billion in economic benefits to the community” (and) “would also result in 14,661 fewer murders and aggravated assaults each year.”
Russell Rumberger, director of the CDRP, said the statistics he culled date back to 2008, but remain accurate today.
“The overall message is still the same,” Rumberger said.
Damon Smith, an assistant superintendent for Imperial County’s Office of Education, said he has not seen a statistical correlation between high school dropouts and crime. He did say the greater education, “the greater the chance for a better economic future.”
But there are some exceptions to that contention on a “case by case” basis, Smith said.
“It’s a huge issue,” Smith said of the effect high school dropouts have on the economy statewide. “We are strongly supportive of kids staying in school.”
>> Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760 337-3442 or at spanta@ivpressonline.com
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest in a continuing series of stories about our current financial troubles.)
Those who don’t achieve a basic high school education and who end up running afoul of the law cost Imperial County taxpayers $5,000 to $10,000 a month if they are placed in group homes that are outside of the county, Gloria Muñoz, juvenile division manager for the Imperial County Probation Department, said.
That’s why probation officers do what they can with at-risk youths who could otherwise financially affect the Imperial Valley as well as the state, county Probation Chief Martin Krizay said.
Juvenile crime impacts law enforcement, the courts and the victims of juvenile crime, officials said.
To combat truancy and other ills that are telltale signs of juvenile delinquency, the county’s probation department is working in close collaboration with the Imperial County Office of Education to find ways of reaching out to at-risk youths, Krizay said.
Also, the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office has assigned prosecutor Eileen Cavil to handle truancy cases that would hold parents accountable, Krizay said.
Cavil was unavailable for comment Monday.
Making parents responsible for the actions of their children is something Probation Officer Antonio Olguin strongly supports.
“We need parents to step to the plate,” Olguin said.
High school dropouts have higher rates of unemployment and higher rates of criminal behavior and incarceration, according to findings of the California Dropout Research Project at University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dropouts also are prone to earn less than those who go on to earn a higher education, are in poorer health and have a higher mortality rate and also have an increased dependence on public assistance, the CDRP’s report found.
There is also an estimated $4.3 billion cost to victims, the report cites.
The report asserts that cutting the state’s dropout rate in half would “generate $12 billion in economic benefits to the community” (and) “would also result in 14,661 fewer murders and aggravated assaults each year.”
Russell Rumberger, director of the CDRP, said the statistics he culled date back to 2008, but remain accurate today.
“The overall message is still the same,” Rumberger said.
Damon Smith, an assistant superintendent for Imperial County’s Office of Education, said he has not seen a statistical correlation between high school dropouts and crime. He did say the greater education, “the greater the chance for a better economic future.”
But there are some exceptions to that contention on a “case by case” basis, Smith said.
“It’s a huge issue,” Smith said of the effect high school dropouts have on the economy statewide. “We are strongly supportive of kids staying in school.”
>> Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760 337-3442 or at spanta@ivpressonline.com
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest in a continuing series of stories about our current financial troubles.)
