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Weeks after the D.C. Department of Youth and Rehabilitative Services (DYRS) Director Sam Abed’s Council confirmation, the agency said that he has made some headway in addressing safety and personnel concerns at the Youth Services Center (YSC) on Mt. Olivet Road in Northeast.
Earlier this fall, reports surfaced about fights and substandard living conditions at the YSC, where several dozen male and female youths are detained by order of the court.
A DYRS representative told The Informer that Abed submitted a proposal to D.C. Council member Trayon White (D-Ward 8), chairman of the council’s Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs, detailing plans to improve conditions at YSC.
The representative, however, didn’t specify the elements of the plan.
During the latter part of November, DYRS had 15 new applicants in the hiring pipeline to fill seven vacancies, the representative said. Those vacancies, out of 255 positions in total, are four youth development representatives and three supervisory youth development representatives.
On Nov. 20, four out of those new applicants started their role at the YSC, the representative said.
In the realm of education, the representative told The Informer that DYRS is working with partners to ensure that youths’ daily schedules maximize instructional time. They denied the shortage of toiletries, as recounted by White during his Nov. 6 visit to the YSC, saying that the youth in question requested a particular name brand soap, which the agency then provided.
In a statement, Abed affirmed his commitment to providing a safe, secure environment for YSC residents.
“We are dedicated to empowering our youth, families, and community and are taking every provision to expand our residential placement options for youth under our care,” Abed said.
“We are fully committed to ensuring the long-term safety and security of our staff members and residents,” Abed continued. “We can provide court-involved youth the opportunity to become more productive citizens by building on the strengths of youths and their families in the least restrictive, most homelike environment consistent with public safety.”
The D.C. Council Saves DYRS Oversight
On Nov. 7, the D.C. Council confirmed Abed via an emergency resolution in an 10-1-2 vote.
D.C. Council members Robert White (D-At large) and Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) voted “present” while Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) voted “no.”
These council members made their vote, not only amid reports about dismal conditions at the YSC, but after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced the early closure of the Office of Independent Juvenile Justice Facilities Oversight, the entity responsible for monitoring the DYRS’ juvenile facilities for at least three years, per a settlement reached in Jerry M. vs. District of Columbia.
On Nov. 16, Parker and Allen, along with Council member Christina Henderson (I-At large), co-introduced an emergency declaration resolution with Ward 8 Council member White establishing a new Office of Independent Juvenile Justice Facilities Oversight, scheduled to launch when the term of the currently operating office expires in September 2024.
The council unanimously approved the emergency declaration resolution.
During the Nov. 7 council breakfast, after his council colleagues wrestled with confirming Abed without a turnaround plan, Ward 8 Council member White said that Abed was scheduled to submit a document to his office before the end of November.
White’s office declined to respond to an Informer inquiry confirming their receipt of Abed’s plan. They also didn’t answer questions about when the Ward 8 council member plans to host the off-site committee hearing about conditions at YSC, as promised during the Nov. 7 council breakfast.
The Ward 8 Council Member Recounts His YSC Visit
The emergency declaration resolution introduced by Ward 8 Council member White credits emergency public safety legislation passed by the council as a cause of the explosion in the resident population at DYRS facilities.
Since the Office of Independent Juvenile Justice Facilities Oversight started collecting data two years ago, reports of injuries and assaults are reportedly at the highest levels. In October, the office reported 36 youth injuries, 32 youth-on-youth assaults, and 35 critical incidents, defined as incidents posing a serious risk of harm to youth or staff at the facility.
On the day before the council breakfast and subsequent legislative session, Ward 8 Council member White, along with At-large D.C. Council member Anita Bonds and representatives from Ward 2 D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto’s office visited YSC, which has nearly 90 beds.
In speaking with reporters, White recounted engaging 45 young people, who told him that they’re forced to stay in their units longer than usual during staff absences.
Other stories White said he heard involved youth receiving only 15 minutes of instructional time and struggling to acquire soap. White also said that young people told him that parents and lawyers are reportedly getting turned away. Additional complaints concern an intake process taking longer than 10 days, and a mixture of general population residents with “Title 16” youths who are charged as adults.
In terms of fights and injuries, White tied that to a staff shortage that delayed response time to physical conflict. While he acknowledged Abed’s work in addressing the YSC’s issues, White said that the buck stops with leadership.
“There are a lot of frustrated youth and they’re acting out in various ways. This facility is very short staffed and as a result, the institution is compromised,” Ward 8 Council member White said on Nov. 6 in front of the YSC. “People are in units they’re not supposed to be in and several assaults have happened.
“There’s a level of cultural competency that’s missing. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Sam Abed is trying to do what he can, but we have these issues at New Beginning. I’m concerned as a council member.”