Caring for Kids: Challenges with Juvenile Detention in Adult Facilities at #MACoCon

Young Maryland residents who find themselves involved with the justice system have the potential to face a number of different outcomes depending on the violation. Community service, community placements with programming, electronic monitoring, and detention with programming are the primary next steps for a youth who has committed an infraction and may also be awaiting adjudication. While some offenses could see them going home the same day of being apprehended by law enforcement, others could lead to detention in a youth or even an adult facility.

It is well understood that a spectrum of variables and influences can lead a kid to act out. Having the right intervention available at the right time has the potential to divert them into programs or settings that keep them from re-offending. Unfortunately, young offenders are often automatically charged for certain offenses that bring them into the jurisdictions of the adult courts and therefore often held in adult detention centers. This is practice that unduly burdens local detention centers and often exacerbates the behavioral issues already present. This panel of experts will discuss the climate around justice involved kids including why they end up in local adult facilities and explore potential alternatives to adult detention centers.

  • Title: Caring for Kids: Challenges with Juvenile Detention in Adult Facilities
  • Description: Adult detention centers are not suitable for the holding of minors, but incarcerated children end up in local adult facilities all the time. For several years, state and local stakeholders have worked to ensure these populations − regardless of charges − do not end up in contact with adult offenders…but the challenges persist. Adult facilities are not only incapable of managing both the needs and vulnerabilities of youth populations, but “sight and sound separation” mandates carry the added consequence of inadvertent isolation. This leads to seclusion from peers while they experience what is likely great personal and emotional hardship. Hear from leaders in the field about why this continues to happen and how local governments can help advocate for solutions that relieve the local burden on facilities and get these vulnerable populations the services they need in an appropriate setting.
  • Speakers:
    • Mary Ann Thompson, Warden, St. Mary County Department of Detention
    • Aubrey Gerhart, Title II Compliance Monitor, Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy
    • Aisha Braveboy, County Executive, Prince George’s County
    • Betsy Fox Tolentino, Secretary, Maryland Department of Juvenile Services
  • Moderator: The Honorable Sandy Bartlett, Vice Chair, Judiciary Committee, MD House of Delegates
  • Date/Time: Thursday, August 14, 2025; 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

The 2025 MACo Summer Conference will be held at the Roland Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, MD from August 13-16. This year’s theme is “Funding the Future.” More information can be found on our conference website.

Learn more about MACo’s Summer Conference: