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OPD petitions high court to act quickly to reduce juvenile jail population
Maryland’s public defenders are asking the Court of Appeals to immediately reduce the number of youths in juvenile jails and prisons in light of the coronavirus pandemic. “This petition seeks extraordinary relief for extraordinary circumstances,” begins the petitioners’ brief, filed Friday. The filing was made on behalf of several detained juveniles and “others simila[...]
Report: Staffer tried to punch juvenile at Md. detention center
SABILLASVILLE — A report states that at least one staff member at a youth detention center in Maryland attempted to assault a juvenile.The Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit said in a report released June 5 that a Victor Cullen Center staffer attempted to punch a boy twice after he refused to return to his cell. Another […]
Md. agency seeks mulligan on lowest-bid deal
ANNAPOLIS — Sometimes the lowest bidder isn’t the best. Maryland’s three-member Board of Public Works Wednesday unanimously approved an emergency short-term deal to replace a winning bidder, whose bid was so low it attracted questions earlier this year from Comptroller Peter Franchot. Ultimately, the lowest bidder quickly faltered in its contractual obligations and was terminated [...]
State workers union protests juvenile center staff vacancies
SABILLASVILLE — The Maryland state workers union says staff vacancies are creating dangerous conditions at the Department of Juvenile Services. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is holding an event Wednesday to highlight what it calls “an acute employee shortage” at the Victor Cullen Center in Sabillasville. The facility in northern Frederick […]
Md. juvenile services’ screening initiatives reducing unnecessary detention
A decline in the number of juveniles securely detained in Maryland is expected to continue, thanks to ongoing modifications and tools in use by the state’s Department of Juvenile Services to standardize the intake process.
Incarcerated youth maintain Md. orchard to help feed needy
CUMBERLAND — Amid the fog, mud and rain-drenched hills in Cumberland, Maryland, on a September Monday, 20 teen boys were being trusted to scatter about an orchard picking apples — not to eat or sell, but to give away. Wearing ponchos and work boots, the boys — ages 15 to 18 — hailed from Maryland’s […]
Board of Public Works reschedules meeting
Among the items what will be decided are a plan to spend $20 million transferred from the state's rainy day fund on expenses related to the riot and state of emergency in Baltimore following the funeral of Freddie Gray, who died while in the custody of Baltimore City police
Shortcomings in Md. juvenile offender schooling
The Maryland State Department of Education says it's addressing shortcomings in the schooling it provides in juvenile justice centers.
Md. defends dismissal of youth center teachers
CUMBERLAND — The Maryland departments of juvenile services and education are defending the dismissal of 10 veteran teachers from four youth detention centers in western Maryland. The Cumberland Times-News reported Wednesday on the state’s response to questions posed by state legislators from Allegany and Garrett counties. The department secretaries say the dismissals stem from the [&hellip[...]
Agency proposing new detention center for girls
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland’s head of the Department of Juvenile Services is scheduled to meet with Carroll County officials to discuss a proposal to build a new detention center for girls in the county. Eric Solomon, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, said department head Sam Abed is scheduled to meet with county […]
Youth services, not facilities, aim of new law
ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill in the recently completed session that prohibits juvenile courts from committing a child to the Department of Juvenile Services for out-of-home placement for minor offenses, including trespass and possession of marijuana. The aim is to reduce the number of youth sent to long-term juvenile facilities. Instead, […]
Change in DJS policy shows promise for girls
ANNAPOLIS — Treatment and conditions for girls in the juvenile justice system are gradually improving nearly a year after the state separated and moved the most serious offenders, but work remains to be done, according to advocates and state officials. The total number of incident reports involving girls in the system has decreased since the […]
