Djs

BILLS THAT would reorganize the state's Department of Juvenile Services spell out a clear, coherent plan for kids who trip and fall into the system. They also spell out a commitment by legislators to back up the department. That's good, because both the plan and the commitment need to be spelled out. While the administration, DJS officials and legislators on both sides of the aisle at last agree to agree on such goals as accountability, regionalization, after-care and smaller facilities, what's really needed is agreement that these worthy goals will make it off the page and into reality.

There's a silver lining to the state's decision to close a residential treatment center for boys in Carroll County. Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services says it will use nearly half of the $1.5 million in savings from the move to expand home-based family therapy services that have shown impressive results with juvenile offenders. That's not only good for the state's bottom line, it's an investment in its future. When the Thomas O'Farrell Youth Center in Marriottsville closes its doors at the end of November, about 20 of 30 youngsters housed there will return to their families and participate in a special intensive therapy regimen that pairs families with counselors who are involved in their daily lives.

In the 1970s, Joseph Saddler was not just a witness to the birth of hip-hop -- as Grandmaster Flash, he was one of its creators. He, with the Furious Five, became the first hip-hop act to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, after his "cuttin'" technique created a pioneering standard for up-and-coming DJs. See this founding father in action tomorrow at the 9:30 Club. Doors open at 11 p.m. The venue is at 815 V St. N.W., Washington. Tickets are $20. Call 202-265-0930 or go to 930.com.

Areport by the U.S. Justice Department finds that conditions in a Baltimore youth detention center are so bad that the constitutional rights of juveniles confined there are being violated. Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services, which runs the facility, insists that many of the lapses cited in the year-old report have been fixed. That may be so, but there is plenty more to do. The Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, which opened in 2003, has 144 beds for boys ages 12 to 18. Some of the youths housed at the center are waiting for their day in court, but others have been to court and are waiting to go to a facility or program that can meet their needs, whether for behavioral, mental health, substance abuse or other issues.

As a gubernatorial candidate in 2002, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was highly critical of Maryland's dysfunctional juvenile justice system and promised long-overdue reforms. But, as governor, Mr. Ehrlich's record has been decidedly mixed - some good ideas thwarted by inadequate implementation and resources. Any high hopes that advocates, parents and even troubled youths might have had that Mr. Ehrlich would make significant changes in the entrenched bureaucracy and culture at the Department of Juvenile Services have been dashed by inertia.

State and city officials are scheduled today to announce an interagency partnership aimed at combating truancy among juvenile offenders in Baltimore schools. The city school system and the Department of Juvenile Services will share student attendance data, enabling DJS case managers to monitor daily whether youth on probation are in school. DJS plans to expand from six to 16 the number of city schools where it places case managers who monitor and respond to attendance and behavior problems and other issues involving students under DJS supervision.

Caribbean Carnival The lowdown: Caribbean cultures collide at Druid Hill Park, with fire dancing, singers and traditional cuisine. Attend the Clash of the DJs Competition tomorrow or listen to performers from the West Indies, Africa and Baltimore on Saturday and Sunday. : If you go: Clash of the DJs takes place 5 p.m.-9 p.m. tomorrow. Other performances are from noon-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The park is at 2600 Madison Ave. Admission is free tomorrowand $5 on other days. Call 410-396-6106 or go to bmorecarnival.

Baltimore's lounge scene might pale in comparison with Washington's, but there are a few places where the well-dressed set come to sip fancy cocktails, chat and soak in some dance music. Red Maple For nearly 10 years (an eternity by club standards), Red Maple has been the city's primo destination for lounging. The firepits, dim lighting and rear dance area give Red Maple a dark, enchanting vibe. The mixed drinks are solid, the service isn't bad and the DJs are typically some of the best you'll see in Charm City.

Fixing the disarray at DJS The Sun is to be commended for its recent articles exposing the disarray in the Department of Juvenile Services ("Failures of DJS anger officials," April 23, and "Youths lost in juvenile system," April 22). The children in the department's care are at a precarious and vulnerable point in their lives. The way they are dealt with at this juncture will go far to determine what happens with the rest of their lives. In fact, given the number of youths in the system who find themselves victims or perpetrators of violence, the kind of care they receive is critical even to their immediate survival.

IT DOESN'T SEEM to matter that fewer juveniles are incarcerated at Cheltenham Youth Center; some still get beaten up. Until the outdated facility in southern Prince George's County can safely serve its purpose, caring for southern Maryland juveniles as they await a hearing or a placement in a treatment program, it should be shut down. For a long time, the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) has tried to placate critics by arguing that a smaller Cheltenham would be safer: If it couldn't be closed quickly, at least it could house fewer wards.