A recent policy change at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services will mandate detention for certain youth offenders currently on electronic monitoring. 

A directive released on July 3, by the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), specifies actions to be taken by DJS staff when dealing with a youth currently on electronic monitoring, that is alleged to have committed an additional offense, and detention is requested by law enforcement. The new standard requires all youth in this category to be held in detention until their next court hearing.

As previously covered on Conduit Street, a string of incidents in multiple jurisdictions last year reignited the discussion on juvenile justice legislation in Maryland. This is following what has been a number of years, where legislators have gone in the direction of making policies less stringent and then reversed course on some of those new provisions shortly after.

This most recent change in policy is important for county law enforcement agencies that end up in the position of continually apprehending an alleged repeat offender, only for them to be released by the state shortly after, with no services offered or meaningful repercussions. In a recent interview with now Acting Secretary Betsy Fox Tolentino of DJS, Secretary Tolentino highlighted the importance of this quick action:

We are moving quickly to address the young people who are falling through the cracks of our system,” said Maryland DJS Secretary Betsy Fox Tolentino, via a press release. “These changes show a willingness to have hard conversations and make quick decisions when they can help us rebuild trust and community safety.

The changes serve to bolster the efforts and preserve the resources of local law enforcement working to keep communities safe. Multiple agencies praised the decision to not only bring repeat offenders into the system where  services are actually available but also improving oversight of the staff required to process these young residents. It has been discussed at great length amongst stakeholders the need for service access for the communities most vulnerable, justice-involved youth. This policy allows for detention based services and community based services to work hand in hand.