JUVENILE FACILITY PROPOSED; LANCASTER LOCATION POSSIBLE.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer

With Antelope Valley juvenile arrests climbing, Los Angeles County officials are have proposed building a Juvenile Hall in Lancaster.

County officials are working on a plan to house arrested juveniles in a portion of the Challenger Memorial Youth Center, which would keep them close to home and eliminate long drives for sheriff's deputies to the Juvenile Hall in Sylmar.

``We would like to have it approved in the budget,'' said Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. ``It's on the needs list.''

The proposed facility would keep 10 to 20 juveniles separate from the rest of the wards at the Challenger probation camp on Avenue I near 50th Street West. Youths would be brought in after their arrests and remain there through their disposition hearings.

No money is included in the proposed 1999-2000 county budget, a fact which Antonovich criticized last week.

Juvenile suspects who are not released to their parents now are transported to the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar, about 40 miles from the Lancaster Courthouse that last year opened a new juvenile courtroom.

Officials said transportation takes law enforcement officers away from the communities they are sworn to protect.

``We would rather for all of our public safety officers to stay on the streets rather than in transportation,'' said Lori Howard, an aide to Antonovich.

A juvenile judge, the Probation Department, the Sheriff's Department, the supervisor's office and other officials have been working on the facility, which is being planned in anticipation of juvenile arrests climbing just like the Antelope Valley population.

``What we are anticipating is a larger intake,'' said Matthew Gillette, detention services bureau chief for the county Probation Department. ``We have to start planning for the future.''

Antelope Valley already has the highest juvenile arrest rate in the county, according to state statistics.

In 1997, the California Department of Justice said the Antelope Valley had 10.8 juvenile arrests per 100,000 population - more than double the county average of 5.2. The next highest rate was in Central Los Angeles, at 8.8 arrests per 100,000.

Challenger Memorial Youth Center is designed for youths who have already been tried and sentenced. It can take in no more than four arrestees, who must be segregated from each other as well as from camp wards.

The center now is taking in on average one juvenile arrestee a day.

``Each juvenile must be sight and sound removed,'' Gillette said. ``They are segregated, not mixed in with camp population.''

Since the facility was not included in the preliminary budget presented to the Board of Supervisors last week, the Probation Department has begun working on alternate plans, including adding a department employee to drive juvenile arrestees from Lancaster to Sylmar.

That would free sheriff's deputies from making the trip, at least during the week.