OW photo by Brittney M. Walker

Emmett Murrell, co-founder of The Community Action League (TCAL), addressed the press on Wednesday morning in front of the Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse about the failing corrections system. Murrell and his peers are proposing that the department of probation reform the system to include enrichment programs for the youth in camps. “We are not here to indict the probation department,” he said. “My biggest concern ... is that if a young man is suspended (from school) three times, his alternative is going to camp. Camp was never was designed for young men or ladies to gain the information they need to be productive citizens.” Murrell and his supporters believe the system has been designed to cycle youth into the incarceration system. The group is asking the department of corrections to work with the community and develop strategies to reduce youth incarceration.