Forum: Debate over use of closed Camarillo facility

Facility should be converted into new CSU

A proposal to build a university in Ventura County has been the dream of California State University trustees for the past three decades.

Now a glimmer of hope arises out of the now defunct Camarillo State Hospital.

The trustees believe this would be the perfect place for a new campus, Cal State Channel Islands.

But there's a problem. The California Youth Authority would also like to use the institution.

They want to convert it into a youth correctional facility, contending that juvenile offenders outweigh the current capacity to house them by 150%.

At the same time, universities are gearing up to meet an upcoming surge in enrollment as children of baby boomers reach college age.

There is no question juvenile crime exists, but favoring a prison over a university is not the way to solve it.

Building the university is a preventive measure against juvenile crime. This school would give the youth of our state more opportunities for higher education and another option to a life of criminal activity.

This would be especially true in Ventura County, which has no university to call its own.

Criminals should not expect to be treated with luxuries in prison.

The overcrowding of prisons, as long as it is not inhumane, should be part of their punishment.

On the other hand, students paying tuition for a quality college education should not be forced endure the crowded classes that many experience.

Students' education should not be sacrificed to benefit prisoners who don't pay for what they get.

An argument for having the prison is that it would create jobs.

But it is doubtful a prison could create as many quality jobs as a university can. Not only would a university employ professors, staff and contractors but also create jobs for the surrounding communities in the areas of construction, housing and business.

A prison is unlikely to attract such forms of employment opportunities. Also, many businesses or new housing are unlikely to be erected so close to a stigmatized facility such as a prison.

The number of professionals who enter the job market after graduation is another aspect that a prison cannot compete with.

With few exceptions, inmates who are released tend to fall back into a life of criminal activity, being of little social value to the community.

CSU officials estimate it would cost more than $40 million to refurbish and get a new campus up and running at the Camarillo site.

Building a university from the ground up is estimated to cost more than $300 million and take about 20 years.

It is unclear how much converting the hospital to a prison would cost. But even if building the prison is less expensive, setting up a much needed university in a short time and for such a low sum is an opportunity that shouldn't be passed up.

Prisons and jails are a dime a dozen in California State universities are not.

Saying no to this youth prison isn't a not-in-my-backyard issue.

As citizens we have the responsibility of supporting construction of prisons, even if they are around the corner from our house, if we expect to keep our streets safe.

But given the option of building a university or a prison,it's time we as tax payers set our priorities straight and demand our money be used for productive uses such as setting up this much needed university.

Michael Luevano is a reporter for the Daily Forty-Niner.