In my youth, they were referred to as “reform schools,” the places where the state sent troubled young people who had brushes with the law as a part of the juvenile justice system.
Now, a newly released report says South Carolina’s juvenile justice system has lost its way – much like the youth it was designed to help and rehabilitate. And, advocates are calling for reforms at the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) amid growing concerns among lawmakers about the direction of the agency.
Reforms to transform DJJ into a model juvenile justice system are contained in the new report, “Effective Solutions to South Carolina’s Juvenile Justice Crisis: Safety, Rehabilitation, and Fiscal Responsibility.”
The report, released in April, was a collaboration between the University of South Carolina School of Law, the advocacy organization Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities Inc. and the Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough law firm.
“Some members of the South Carolina General Assembly now consider DJJ to be in the midst of a crisis marked by violence at DJJ facilities, poor staffing models, and inadequate treatment for children in custody,” according to the report.
“This crisis creates an opportunity to address long-standing challenges and set South Carolina on a course to build a model juvenile justice system,” the report states. The report offered recommendations to improve the state’s juvenile justice system. Among the recommendations were suggestions to:
* Limit the size of DJJ’s Broad River Road Complex.
* Limit the total number of children who are actually committed to DJJ, by placing limits on DJJ commitments for lower level offenders.
* Promptly place children with serious mental illnesses and intellectual disabilities at appropriate locations, outside of the confines of DJJ facilities.
* Enhance mental health treatment for those children who do remain in DJJ custody.
* Improve the data available for DJJ to help its leaders and state policy makers be better equipped to make informed choices about the direction of DJJ.
“Rather than spend millions of dollars to expand large jail facilities — and the problems within them — we should reduce our reliance on those facilities, and use taxpayer dollars on more evidence-based interventions,” the report states.
Using taxpayer dollars more efficiently was among the outcomes anticipated through a revised juvenile justice system. Other goals identified were: keeping children safe when in state custody, keeping DJJ staff safe, keeping the community safe when adolescents are released from DJJ, and balancing accountability with rehabilitation for youthful offenders.
“Those proposals are ambitious but achievable,” the report states. “Committing to them now will serve our children and our communities better, spend taxpayer dollars more effectively, and start turning South Carolina’s juvenile justice system into a national model.”
If we are able to help the juvenile justice system turn over a new leaf, then it will enable some of young people to do the same.
It is an honor to serve you in Columbia, and I am grateful for your continued support. As with all matters concerning state government, I want to hear your opinions and suggestions concerning these issues. Please contact me in my Columbia office located at 608 Gressette Office Building. You can reach me, or a member of my staff in Columbia at (803) 212-6000 or by fax at (803) 212-6011. My district office is located at 2325 East Highway 76, Marion, SC 29571, the phone number is (843) 423-8237 and the fax number is (843) 431-6049. You may also email me at kentwilliams@scsenate.gov.
As always, I also want to supply you with my business phone number so that you will able to reach me easily at any time. My business phone is (843) 423-3904. Please use this information to write, call or email me with your suggestions and concerns regarding issues before the Senate and in our community.