CSEA: Warnings ignored on close to home initiative

ALBANY, NY (05/02/2013)(readMedia)-- In the wake of an explosive expose by the New York Daily News about the abysmal failure of the state Close to Home juvenile justice reform program, CSEA can only say repeated warnings about the initiative were ignored.

The Daily News reported today about repeated failures with the governor's initiative to move juvenile offenders from state run facilities into New York City programs that are obviously unequipped to handle the dangerous offenders.

As the governor's initiative was being fast tracked last year, CSEA sounded repeated warnings about the potential dangers of the program.

"There are real public safety concerns that need to be addressed here," CSEA President Danny Donohue said at the time. "It makes no sense whatsoever to put violent, repeat offenders back into the very neighborhoods where they got in trouble in the first place, without any evidence that they will be properly supervised."

The union pointed to the murder of Buffalo-area direct care worker Renee Greco by a youth who had been inappropriately released by the state into community care as well as the shootings of Rochester and New York City police officers Anthony DiPonzio and Kevin Brennan as grim reminders of the tragic consequences that result from moving troubled youth into the community without adequate resources and supervision.

Last spring, CSEA also released figures the union obtained in response to a Freedom of Information request, showing that 33 percent of residents at limited secure facilities and 20 percent at non-secure facilities operated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) had committed violent felony offenses, including aggravated assault and dangerous weapons possession.

Today, Donohue called the failure of the Close to Home program "further evidence of the failure of Governor Andrew Cuomo's public policy by news release that puts people at risk."

At the same time as he was diverting offenders from upstate juvenile detention facilities, Cuomo also closed down all of the New York City–based OCFS facilities, undermining any claim that the program was really about moving juveniles closer to their homes. Many dedicated state workers were displaced or lost jobs as a result of this action.

While a Cuomo aide, yesterday, attempted to lay the blame on city officials, Donohue pointed the finger elsewhere.

"This is vintage Cuomo administration to blame others after the fact for disasters when his administration ignored all of the warnings that were raised," Donohue said.

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