Thread: MD-Juvenile jail has 'lost control' of teens

Juvenile jail has 'lost control' of teens

Teachers write to governor of fears, threats, assaults that are ignored
By Julie Bykowicz | Sun reporter
7:45 PM EDT, May 9, 2008

Teachers who work inside the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center say that the staff has "lost control" of the young offenders and that "the situation seems to be deteriorating steadily."

The teenage boys at the 144-bed facility on Gay Street must attend school for six hours each weekday and are taught by state Department of Education employees.

Scared and frustrated that their concerns about safety were not being addressed by the Department of Juvenile Services, 14 of those educators sent a letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley in March describing gang activity, threats and assaults. One teacher wrote in a supplementary letter about being attacked by a youth who later threatened "to knock [her] out" again.

State education and juvenile services officials say they are working to make teachers feel safer in the youth lockup.

But in interviews this week, several education employees who signed the letter said that, despite written responses from juvenile services and schools administrators, their complaints have gone unaddressed. They also talked about other violence -- including a youth-on-youth assault before school Friday.

Responding on behalf of O'Malley, Juvenile Justice Secretary Donald. W. DeVore and state Schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick wrote that the teachers should attend regularly scheduled safety meetings and continue communicating their concerns.

"They say, 'Go through the system,'" said one teacher, who is not authorized to speak to the media and asked to remain anonymous for fear of being fired. "We've been trying to do that for years. It isn't working."

The letters add to other recent reports about violence at the justice center, where Baltimore youths deemed by judges to be a danger to themselves or others are detained until trial. Also housed there are delinquent youths awaiting long-term placement in other facilities, often in other states.

The first three months of this year have seen a 50 percent increase over the same period last year in youth-on-youth assaults and youth-on-staff assaults, according to a recent report from the state's independent juvenile justice monitor.

Education officials offered several possible explanations Friday for the increased violence and tensions:

The principal at the justice center's school retired in December and was not permanently replaced until February. The facility population has been close to and sometimes exceeds its 144 capacity, but the school is staffed for about 100 students. The design of the facility does not include enough classroom space for that many students; makeshift classrooms, such as the cafeteria and the visitation room, are difficult to manage, teachers say.

Still, Mark Mechlinski, director of the correctional education program, said he was surprised by the March letters to O'Malley. He said that not long before, he had asked about safety in a meeting with nearly all of the education employees.

"I was told, point-blank, 'We are not concerned about our safety.' They said they were not afraid to come to work," Mechlinski said. "I'm not sure what changed."

The letter to O'Malley was written by Charles W. Martin, who has been a justice center computer teacher for several years. "The staff feels that since we are employed by the state of Maryland, the state should ensure that we have a safe work environment," the letter says.

About 30 education employees and 233 juvenile services workers are assigned to the justice center.

"Student behavior reports and incident reports seem to be ignored," the memo says. "Feedback from teacher's attempts to process behavior incidents is never received."

One example is included in a letter by teacher Loretta Cunningham-Williams, which was also forwarded to O'Malley.

She wrote of being attacked by a youth in November during one of her classes. The boy was released to the community without ever being charged with her assault, she wrote. But he returned to the justice center on new charges in February, she wrote, and she has since endured his "verbal rants, threats and suggestive hand gestures."

On March 7, the day she wrote the letter, she said, he made "closed fist swings at me" and was "saying he was going to knock me out like he did before."

In an interview Friday, Kahi Fraser, a former office processing clerk at the justice center, said a boy who threw a student desk at her was not charged. She said she went to Mercy Hospital with a bruised rib after the March 4 assault.

When she returned to work March 31, she said, the juvenile was still at the justice center. She said she stopped going to work April 10 and was fired for absenteeism May 5.

"DJS didn't care. MSDE [the education department] didn't care. I saw that nothing had been done," Fraser said. "I started thinking, 'Why am I still here?' I refused to stay in my position where I might not make it home safely to my son."

Katharine Oliver, an assistant state superintendent who oversees the justice center, said that in response to the employees' letters, a facility safety committee was formed and meets regularly. She said teachers are now receiving the same training in de-escaltion techniques as DJS workers.

"We have stepped up," she said. After hearing from a reporter that staff still felt disconnected, she said, "Our presence will be much more frequently felt there. We need to make sure we understand what's going on and why it is that teachers are not perceiving our support."

DeVore has said that the safety of all employees at the justice center is a top priority.

"We are using every imaginable resource and training to de-escalate violence at the justice center," DJS spokeswoman Tammy Brown said. "This has included close collaboration with all of our community partners and our state agency partners, including MSDE."

julie.bykowicz@baltsun.com

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/ ... 8512.story

Doesn't surprise me in the least. So many of these kids are already on their way to a permenant life of crime that I don't know if anything can be done for them.

I was watching something on the news the other day...I think it was a 7 yr.old who stole a car and drove it till he wrecked it. He was adorable but had that hard azzed gang attitude, smirks and everything else down. The news lady was so sweet to him....squatted down to his level....amazed that such a "young man" could drive a car all that way..la dee da an stuff....while the kids looking at her like she's scum....and she said "Why did you decide you wanted to try and drive the car?" He got this hard look on his face and hissed at her like she was as dumb as dirt and said "Coz I damned wanted to". They like silenced the cus word out but you could read the lips and boy, the look on her face was priceless. She promptly stood up and it looked like disperation to cut the camera for fear what might come next.....I think she was hoping for "I wanted to drive like Daddy" or something sweet and childlike Not this kid. And I bet mom was off to the side beaming about her "little man" coz he made it on TV.

I mean I was ready to smack the smirk off his face on the TV....my mom would have stuck a bar of soap in my mouth and dad would have been waiting his turn on me, if I would have acted like that. You just never acted like that.....ever.....you didn't even THINK of acting like that.

When I lived in Florida, in the town I did, there was an old hippie who has a music shop. There's not much for the pre-teen and early teens to do and not everybody has the means for movies and all that. So for a couple of hours on Friday evening, he opens his shop and sets up a stage and stuff, with instruments so some of the young budding rock stars could preform for their friends. Safe, open for parents and anyone to come on in and enjoy...if they are really good he sticks speakers out the door so everyone can hear.....you know trying to encourage some positive things and give them a good outlet with supervision....well it went over great. Problem is once the streets fold up...more come down there with brass knuckles and clubs and base ball bats and in mass just jump people for fun. They especially like to try and egg on the older highschool kids and young adults..there's a college there....anyone 18 and over who are there to pick up a burger at Checkers before or after their dates etc.. I mean you have 12 Jr.High kids pounding on you, you fight back....oh no....that's assult on a minor.....they know that and that's how they get their fun kicks for the night. It could be adults who might grab an arm and they're screaming assult!!!! They pound the streets like thugs because they know they can do whatever they want and by the time police arrive....they are a group of innocent kids who were bugged by these mean older kids. Boy talk about bunch who feel powerful and no-one making them accountable or responsible for their actions. And incase you haven't been to Jr. High lately.....they aren't innocent babies anymore. They have full grown men with beards and girls who look like they're 21.....not all, but they sure didn't make em like that when I was young. And they have gone from pre-school on, having it drilled in their heads that there's nothing you can do or say that deserves anyone placing a hand on you...and if they do...call 911. They KNOW they have the power....they KNOW the worst that's going to happen to them is a trip to juvy with their buds...maybe some counseling with their parents where they are basicly told it's normal and try wording things this way or have them clean their room and stupid stuff like that.....it's almost a right of passage to gloat on how you made it there....and gloat on how mom and dad are jumping through hoops to make them happy because if the kid gets in trouble....so do the parents....that's for the ones in familys who are trying...there's others of course who don't care.

There just doesn't seem to be that filter between thought and action or the filter between feeling like doing something and actually doing it. Ya...there's plenty of times I feel like wringing someones neck....but when you KNOW there's a consequence and it's serious and there's no way out of it.....you weigh it for a moment and change your mind. We have kids killing kids because they don't ever seem to get any consequence for any action for anything. No swat on the diaper for running in the street. No red mark on your test because we don't want to damage your psyche. No winners or loosers or competition or right and wrong from many adults in their lives....whether it be their parents or teachers. Everything so goody goody sweetness and pie and sorry it's not. If there are no consequences or they are nothing more than a swat on the wrist....hey why not run on impulse...it's not your fault...your a kid and nobody can touch you. OHHHHH you took my IPod...ya watch me knock you one and get it back and then see what you do....can't touch me you "blinkidy blink". Then poof...when they turn 18 suddenly this wisdom is going to overtake you once you blow out the candles? I don't think so. I have never seen such kid on kid violence before....he looked at my girlfriend, I lost at dice, she stole my boyfriend, I wanted it, and people are dead. It's insane. Yes, some is parents who don't care but there are many who do, yet feel their hands are tied. Teachers are in the same boat...(roll up in a ball and cover your face and pray) coz god forbid you touch them or say anything because it HAS to 100% be the adults fault.....never, ever, the darling kid.

I don't know how the good ones make it through because they sure seem to be the rare ones anymore.

crazybird wrote:

There just doesn't seem to be that filter between thought and action or the filter between feeling like doing something and actually doing it. Ya...there's plenty of times I feel like wringing someones neck....but when you KNOW there's a consequence and it's serious and there's no way out of it.....you weigh it for a moment and change your mind. We have kids killing kids because they don't ever seem to get any consequence for any action for anything.

You are so correct crazybird!