The facility houses youth ages 10 through 20 who have been accused or adjudicated guilty of a wide range of offenses from retail theft to homicide. 4 in a large brawl that left one resident hospitalized and dozens of youth and staff hurt. They detailed frequent brawls and poor supervision - one testified that employees recently found 10 makeshift weapons in a room holding 20 children. "It's research-based best practice, and as a solution is only going to cause further harm to our youth and our communities."Ĭity officials who testified Wednesday described a facility in chaos, with dozens of children sleeping on mattresses in an admissions office or sitting on the floor to eat. "We need to focus on closer-to-home models and alternatives to detention for our youth," Philadelphia's chief public defender, Keisha Hudson, said. Vanessa Garret Harley, deputy mayor for the Office of Children and Families, said in a statement the city is "grateful" and will still pursue its lawsuit, which seeks to require the state to take custody of any sentenced juveniles who might be housed at the facility in the future in excess of its capacity.īut critics noted that the city could abate the problem by removing 11 children who remain there only because they are awaiting child-welfare placements, and urged officials to focus on a holistic, community-based solution. The order did not attempt to address crowding going forward, as the city and state continue to scramble for alternatives that could include a new juvenile detention center within one of the city's adult jails.Ī state DHS spokesperson declined to comment on the order.
"From what I heard, there is nothing happening for the young folks at the PJJSC."Ĭeisler called the hearing after the city sued the state in October, alleging its failure to accept youth in a timely fashion had caused "devastating" conditions inside the 184-bed city facility at 48th Street and Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia, where 202 children are now housed. "From what I heard earlier they are not getting any services, education, anything," Ceisler said during a Wednesday hearing, describing current conditions at the Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center (PJJSC). The order, issued Thursday by Judge Ellen Ceisler, requires the state Department of Human Services to transfer the children within 10 days to either a new state-run facility that is set to open in Pittston or a private facility in Texas. They're among 135 statewide on a waiting list to receive court-ordered treatment at state placements called Youth Development Centers. juveniles breaking out), but all-in-all this is a much-needed addition to a city where troubled youth is a prominent problem (the center admits nearly 5,000 kids annually for assessment and placement). The Youth Study Center is set to open by late fall of this year.PHILADELPHIA - A Commonwealth Court judge has ordered Pennsylvania state officials to take custody of 15 children currently living at a juvenile detention facility in Philadelphia that the city says is dangerously overcrowded and understaffed. Some West Philadelphia residents are weary of the new development as they feel it will put them in danger (i.e. In addition, the new building will also be environmentally friendly (something we love here at NakedPhilly), being designed as the first LEED-certified building to be built by the City of Philadelphia. The new space, which measures out to 160,000 square feet (almost double the size of the old locale) will lend a hand with over-crowding and will allow for some much-needed additional amenities in areas such as housing, visitation, recreation, education, medical and dining the new location will also provide space for court and hearing rooms as well as for community meetings.
The old facility, which is closed and has been functioning at a temporary location in the former Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, was 54 years old and in very poor condition. According to Anne Marie Ambrose, the Department of Human Services commissioner, the new youth center will provide 150 beds and will meet the national best practice guidelines as well as the Commonwealth’s guidelines on Residential Child Care (something the old facility had not been as up to speed with). A new youth study center will be built at 48th and Haverford in West Philadelphia.
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