New juvenile hall breaks ground in Santa Cruz County

FELTON, Calif. (KION-TV) - Big changes are coming to Santa Cruz County's juvenile hall. The county is breaking ground on the Felton facility's largest upgrade in nearly 60 years.

The Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall is receiving a $23 million upgrade that has been 18 years in the making.

"This facility will be more than just bricks and mortar. It will be a space for healing, learning, growth, and wellness," Chief Probation Officer Fernando Giraldo said. "To provide the youth with the education, skills, and support that they need to successfully transition back into the community once they're no longer in our care."

A new gym and hall will provide a space for incarcerated youth to stay active and provide a pathway for reentry after their time spent in juvenile hall. A garden will also provide incarcerated youth with another opportunity for mindfulness and wellness.

"The garden space, which will be behind us, will offer a calming environment where you can learn to grow their own food and incense will be an essential part of our culinary training program and a significant upgrade throughout the facility," Assistant County Executive Officer Nicole Coburn said.

The project is being funded through Senate Bill 81 to help counties renovate juvenile detention facilities, along with two grants and additional support from the county.

Past attempts to modernize came with conditions the county wasn’t willing to meet.

"We had chances to modernize before, but that came with strings. Those strings were adding new beds. Our need wasn't capacity. It was safety. It was programming. It was a real gym, a better kitchen," Giraldo said. "How do we prepare these young people? So when they leave us, they're better when they came and the community safer because of it, because they're skilled. And they leaving those old behaviors behind."

This new project is expected to begin by the end of 2026.