THE BICKERING over an independent monitor's report on alleged abuses at Charles H. Hickey Jr. School should stop. The focus of state agencies should be on the private contractor operating the juvenile detention facility in Baltimore County and whether it is providing a safe environment for youngsters detained there.
Monitor Philip J. Merson's report, made public last week, discussed 20 suspected cases of abuse and neglect at Hickey that he learned about in nine visits there this year. Mr. Merson also criticized juvenile justice workers, Maryland State Police and child welfare workers for not properly investigating alleged incidents - a finding roundly disputed by the state's juvenile justice agency. A top official at the Department of Juvenile Services detailed the agency's oversight at Hickey and accused Mr. Merson of sloppy work.
Enough already. Even if individual accounts of staff having sex with youngsters or slapping teens prove to be unfounded, a hostile environment appears to pervade the sprawling complex on Loch Raven Reservoir. How else to characterize Mr. Merson's report that an assault or use of force incident involving teens occurs at Hickey at least 2.5 times a day?
The juvenile detention facility has been problem-plagued for years. Child welfare advocates and juvenile justice professionals know that. And they know too that most juvenile offenders are best served in small, community-based facilities that offer a range of services.
The problems at Hickey predate the administration of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. But Mr. Ehrlich made reform of the juvenile justice system a priority. He promised to overhaul the system, and the public needs assurances that his department is working toward that end.
The monitor's report raises immediate concerns about the operation of the 262-bed Hickey School by Correctional Services Corp./Youth Services International, a private company based in Florida whose contract ends in March. For the past month, the state juvenile justice agency says, child advocates have been assigned to the facility for 12 hours a day, seven days a week. The state should increase the monitoring to round-the-clock, if necessary. It should also identify youngsters who could be reassigned to smaller, more hospitable programs.
The state has had problems with this contractor in the past, including failures to provide adequate training, staffing levels and youth education programs. Efforts should be made to expedite the process for rebidding the $79 million Hickey contract.
"Youths in state care have the right to be safe and secure in their environment." That's what Mr. Merson, the state monitor, wrote at the end of his report. It is now the responsibility of the Ehrlich administration to guarantee that right.
