CSAC is spotlighting this 2019 Challenge Award program, which was in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There was a time when Shea never thought he would see his 20th birthday due to his addiction. Now 18, he is looking forward to getting a college degree and living a drug-free life. That transformation did not come easy. It took a comprehensive criminal-justice program in San Luis Obispo County that provides structured treatment services to juvenile offenders.

Located within the County’s Juvenile Hall, the Coastal Valley Academy (CVA) is a co-ed probation camp program designed as an alternative to group homes for youths who are considered having a high risk of offending.  CVA is not your typical juvenile hall setting; in some ways, it resembles a homelike setting. But don’t mistake this for a country club. The camp is locked and the youths are expected to follow a strong set of rules as part of a structured program.

Rather than continuing the previous practice of sending offending youths to group homes far away from their homes, the County now has the Coastal Valley Academy that provides schooling and wraparound services. Being able to stay closer to home allows for valuable interactions with family members, home passes, family treatment, transition planning, and linkages to wraparound services.