INDIANAPOLIS | Gov. Mike Pence revealed Tuesday the decision to close Camp Summit, a LaPorte paramilitary-style youth offender rehabilitation center, originated with the Indiana Department of Correction.
"My sense was it was an operational decision based upon lower utilization numbers at that particular site," Pence said.
Pence on Monday halted the planned Oct. 1 shutdown of Camp Summit, pending further review, after House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, and state Rep. Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte, protested the potential loss of some 70 jobs, most held by military veterans.
The Republican governor said he was willing to "take an honest second look" to make sure eliminating Camp Summit is the right decision for Indiana.
However, Pence did not indicate whether he or the Department of Correction would make the final determination on keeping Camp Summit operational, or when that decision will be made.
State records consistently show Camp Summit is less expensive to operate than other Indiana juvenile corrections facilities.
Camp Summit's average per-inmate daily cost was $139.87 during the 2013 budget year.
Prior to Pence's change of heart, most of the 74 boys at Camp Summit were set to be transferred to the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility, near Indianapolis, which costs the state $287.69 per inmate, per day.
Recidivism at Camp Summit (20 percent) also is significantly lower than Pendleton (40 percent).
Pence said putting in place systems that prevent Hoosiers from returning to prison, especially juvenile offenders, is a passion for him.
"When you have that young person that runs afoul of the law, we ought to have institutions in our state that really come alongside them and give them every opportunity to make a better choice in the future," Pence said. "So our juvenile facilities are very much on our minds from the standpoint of improving outcomes and effectiveness."
At the same time, Pence told reporters Tuesday the two-year state budget he will present lawmakers in December will include the elimination of several state programs.
"I will tell you there's been a lot of spadework done on trying to identify the results of those programs and be fair-minded about it," he said without specifying which programs will be cut. "We're going to propose they be eliminated, and we'll tell the Legislature they ought to be defunded and we're going to make a case for that."