Natural Bridge – HB 873

Dear Friends,

Many of you were against the closing of the Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center this fall.  We now have an opportunity to reverse it but you must act quickly as the bill will be taken up any day!  Del. Cline’s House Bill 873 is a bill which is targeted to re-open Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center.  Delegate Cline also offered budget amendments to re-open Natural Bridge JCC. Please join us in supporting Del. Cline’s bill and budget amendments. Let the House Militia and Public Safety Committee members and the House Appropriations Committee members know you want to reopen Natural Bridge JCC with calls and/or emails of support.  Below you will find a list of the Committee members’ contact information, a sample script and information about why Natural Bridge JCC is so important. When contacting your Delegates, please share any success stories you have from Natural Bridge JCC so they understand why this facility is so unique and essential.

Thank you,

Melissa C. Goemann

SAMPLE SCRIPT

I’m calling to ask Delegate ________ to support HB 873 and Budget Amendments 375 and 400, sponsored by Delegate Cline, which would provide for the re-opening of the Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center.  Natural Bridge was the only facility that served lower level juvenile offenders and provided important transitional programs, such as work and college release, which helped to rehabilitate many youth.  We urge you to re-open this vital facility.

TALKING POINTS

  • NBJCC was a unique facility within DJJ.
    • Only one with work release/community service release (Country Cooking, Advance Auto, Burger King, food pantry).
  • Income allowed youth to learn job skills and pay their restitution.
  • Many youth were offered jobs after release at places that they began working at while at Natural Bridge.
    • Only facility with college release.
    • Transitional services to help parolees.
    • Only minimum security juvenile correctional center for low risk offenders.
  • The kids there either earned their way there from other facilities through good behavior or were incarcerated for very low level offenses and have remained there through good behavior.  Providing this program was a good incentive to kids in all the facilities to improve their behavior.
  • Research has shown the negative impact on kids when you place them with higher level offenders – learn more criminality.

If you don’t know who your Delegate is, just go to “Who’s My Legislator” at http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform.

Thank you for your support for VA kids!

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