MADERA COUNTY – Victims of crime in Madera County will have some more financial support thanks to a donation from the California Prison Industry Authority (CalPia).
The Community Action Partnership of Madera County has received a major donation from CalPia, a joint venture, operating at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, announced District Attorney Michael R. Keitz.The Community Action Partnership, in collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office, provides assistance and advocacy to victims of crimes committed in Madera County.
CalPia partners with the CCWF to employ inmates at the state prison in commercial manufacturing projects such as construction of wiring harnesses and electronic circuitry. The inmates are paid for their work and a portion of the income is contributed to restitution for crime victims to reimburse them for losses they have suffered.
This year, a surplus in the victim restitution fund allowed the Authority and CCWF inmates, under the direction of Warden Deborah Johnson, to donate $54,849 to the Community Action Partnership to aid its efforts in the assistance of crime victims.
Mattie Mendez, Executive Director for the Community Action Partnership, gratefully accepted the donation and said she would use the funds to support the Child Forensic Interview observation room and other victim of crime services.
(Pictured in the photograph, from left to right are: George Keeton of the California Prison
Industry Authority; Mattie Mendez, Deborah Johnson, Warden of the CCWF, Tina
Figueroa-Rodriguez, Victim Services Coordinator; Sonja Bodiford, Associate Warden of
CCWF; and Michael Keitz.)
