Ventura County Star
VENTURA — The superintendent of the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility in Camarillo has been replaced, state officials said Thursday.
Wednesday’s decision to replace Victor Almager was made because the facility “needed a change in management,” Bill Sessa, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said without elaborating.
Assistant Superintendent Cynthia Brown has been named acting superintendent, effective immediately, officials said.
Brown has been at the facility since 1990 and has served as assistant superintendent since October. She has been with state corrections for 39 years.
Almager, 54, was appointed by state officials in 2011 to oversee the facility, which houses about 275 young men and 25 women. He has worked for the California Department of Corrections for 30 years.
“People in senior management positions accept the position knowing it can be changed at any time,” Sessa said.
Almager on Thursday declined to comment on why he was replaced and whether he plans to remain with the department.
“I’m in a contemplation phase right now,” Almager said.
Shortly after he was appointed to the Camarillo job, Almager said his priorities included reducing aggression and violence among youth offenders and developing a treatment-based curriculum that meets the mission of the department’s Division of Juvenile Justice.
The California Youth Authority, now the Division of Juvenile Justice, was sued in 2003 over allegations of widespread neglect and abuse of juvenile wards systemwide. The state later agreed to fix the problems but has been criticized for not doing enough.
Almager has worked at several adult correctional institutions in various capacities, including as a correctional officer, investigative captain, senior special agent in the Office of Internal Affairs and supervising agent for criminal affairs in Northern California. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from CSU Sacramento.