An expert panel discussed the current state of the juvenile justice system in Maryland including automatic charging, detention, court timelines, service access and more at #MACoCon.
During the conference session, “Caring for Kids: Challenges with Juvenile Detention in Adult Facilities,” leaders in juvenile justice in Maryland unpacked the layers of problems with how Maryland adjudicates young people alleged to have committed certain crimes.
Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy started the session off with some reflections from her time as State’s Attorney. She reiterated the need for a multi-systemic approach to dealing with troubled youth and how important it is to know not just the alleged offender but also the family and the community of that child. This is the best way to get an understanding of all of the factors impacting that child’s behavior in order to apply a program of services that actually address those needs rather than the symptom of problem, which is often the behavior leading to charges.
Warden Mary Ann Thompson from St. Mary’s County discussed the next step in the process after a violation is alleged and a juvenile is automatically charged as an adult. At that point they are committed to the custody of an adult detention center. Warden Thompson walked audience members through the process of having a juvenile in an adult facility and the challenges that come with those placements. From booking, to housing, transfer, and services, there is almost no way to comply with the federal standard of sight and sound separation, causing local detention centers to fail compliance checks regularly.
Aubrey Gerhart, Title II Compliance Monitor for Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, reiterated these challenges and also gave some history on the problem as it has developed in Maryland over time. She outlined the federal funding that is in jeopardy when facilities are not regularly meeting the standards and ways the violations could be mitigated such as streamlining an “interest of justice” order from a judge.
The last speaker on the panel was the new Secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Betsy Fox Tolentino. She focused her remarks on explaining why the state facilities do not have the capacity to house juveniles that are regularly being committed to adult facilities. One of the complications she pointed out is the length of stay. With the juvenile justice system taking longer than any other time in Maryland history, children who in the past would have been detained and then, often, transferred to community services following their hearing, they are staying longer, and holding up placements for new offenders.
- 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
More About MACo’s Summer Conference:
