By Dave Lucas
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Albany, NY – With conditions deteriorating daily at New York's juvenile prisons and on the heels of a scathing Federal Justice Department report, a group of child advocacy and criminal justice reform organizations gathered at the Capitol building in Albany to call on political leaders to enact wide-reaching reforms. Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
On August 24th the US Justice Department topped off a 2-year investigation into physical abuse of youth at New York State Office of Children and Family Services Juvenile Prisons, condemning them as "out of control" and issuing a warning to expect a lawsuit and possibly a federal takeover of the entire juvenile prison system.
According to the New York Times, the rules for the juvenile prisons say force is supposed to be a last resort treatment. But the report found that the workers often used force immediately to any act of defiance, even if all the kids are under 16 years of age.
The four centers investigated in the report are the Lansing Residential Center and the Louis Gossett Jr. Residential Center, both located in Lansing, N.Y.; and two separate male and female residences at Tryon Residential Center in Johnstown, N.Y.
Last month Washington warned New York officials they had 6 WEEKS to fix the juvenile prison problem. The clock is ticking.