DOC plans to close Camp Summit Boot Camp in La Porte

Those not scheduled for release will be move to Logansport or Pendleton Juvenile Correction Facilities, where there is reportedly bed capacity available.

To continue the boot camp model, Pendleton Juvenile plans to expand the facility's current Future Soldiers Program, a paramilitary program that prepares youth as potential military recruits by teaching good citizenship leadership, self-reliance and responsibility.

Since 2009, when the IDOC Division of Youth Services was created, it has utilized national best practices to improve treatment and services to youth in IDOC care, resulting in the reduction of the number of youth being held in Indiana's juvenile correctional facilities.

“Due to efforts of our youth services staff, at-risk youth are spending less time in prison and are returning to community programs as quickly as possible to reunite them with their families and provide them with the support they need to be responsible citizens,” IDOC Commissioner Bruce Lemmon said.

“This move will enable our youth services staff to better serve the youth in our care, while making more efficient use of taxpayer dollars,” he said.

State Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, issued a statement regarding the closing of this facility. Included in his statement was a letter he addressed to Gov. Mike Pence's office stating the facility should remain open.

Pelath's primary concerns were the loss of jobs and the loss of services for Indiana youth.

“(Pence and his administration) want to eliminate 70 La Porte County jobs in the service of their increasingly bloated budget surplus,” Pelath said. “If they follow through on this threat, it marks the latest indication that people and jobs don't matter as much as politically crafted financial statements.”

Approximately 50 employees will have the opportunity to transfer to other facilities or apply for vacant positions throughout the department following the closing of Camp Summit. The IDOC is working closely with the State Personnel Department to find placement options and minimize the impact on staff.

“Our goal is continued state employment for every affected worker,” Lemmon said.

Pelath, the House minority leader, also voiced his concern about the impact closing Camp Summit would have on the youth in the state.

“(The idea to close Camp Summit) would be particularly crazy because the state is shuttering a program that has a demonstrated impact in turning around the lives of troubled youths,” he said. “At any time at Camp Summit, close to 100 youth across Indiana have the chance to resume their education, receive counseling and gain the skills that will enable them to return to society and care for themselves.”

Opening in 1995 on 60 acres between La Porte and Michigan City, Camp Summit is Indiana's only paramilitary style boot camp that blends military components with a programs approach that addresses the needs of adolescents and affords the best possible environment for change and growth.