Maryland lawmakers said Tuesday that they plan fall hearings on the state Department of Juvenile Services in response to recent reports of problems at its highest-security treatment facility and concerns that the system is not equipped to deal with violent young offenders.
Sen. Brian E. Frosh, the Montgomery County Democrat who chairs the Judicial Proceedings Committee, said he had been considering such a hearing for months, but "the revelations recently make it timely and urgent." A date had not been set.
The chairman of the counterpart committee in the House of Delegates also is laying the groundwork for a review. Del. Joseph F. Vallario Jr., a Prince George's County Democrat, said the topic of juvenile reform "absolutely must be addressed this coming [legislative] session," which begins in January.
This fall, he said, the House Judiciary Committee will join the Senate hearing or visit juvenile facilities or both. "A lot of issues have arisen lately, and we need to know more about what's going on," Vallario said.
A spokeswoman, Tammy Brown, said Juvenile Services has a good relationship with the General Assembly and would participate in any hearings. Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, appointed Donald W. DeVore, an experienced juvenile justice administrator, as department secretary in February 2007.
"I think we've shown the legislators that the department has made progress and done a lot of good things in reforming the agency," Brown said. "But if they want more information, we're happy to provide that."
Lawmakers pointed to several recent incidents as cause for concern:
On July 4, Lamont Davis, a 17-year-old with a juvenile record dating to age 10, was charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of a 5-year-old girl during a teen fight in Southwest Baltimore.
On July 20, the state's independent juvenile services monitor released a report about a violent assault on employees in May, followed by an escape, at the Victor Cullen Center, the state's only locked treatment facility for teenage boys convicted of crimes. The report concluded that the center is not rehabilitating some of the state's most dangerous juveniles.
"What's going on right now is pathetic, and people should be outraged," said Sen. James Brochin, a Baltimore County Democrat and member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee. "I just think we're better than this. I can't believe this is the legacy we're going to leave. We walked in with a failed juvenile justice system and we're going to walk out with one that's still bad?"
