DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE JUSTICE

OFFICE OF SECRETARY

Appointed by the Governor with Senate advice and consent, the Secretary of Juvenile Justice heads the Department of Juvenile Justice. The Department provides individualized care and treatment to youths aged 7 to 21 who have violated the law or are a danger to themselves or to others

One Plaza Center, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland, April 2001. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Within the Office of the Secretary are the Chief of Staff, Fiscal Planning and Management, Fair Practice and Equal Employment Opportunity, the Office of Communications, and the principal counsel.

Under the Secretary, the Department is organized under four main functions: Admissions and Community Justice; Departmental Support; the Office of Professional Responsibility and Accountability; and Residential Services. The Office of the Secretary is assisted by the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Justice; the Female Population Task Force; the Judges, Masters, and Juvenile Justice Committee; the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council; and the State's Attorneys Liaison Committee.

STATE ADVISORY BOARD FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE
The State Advisory Board for Juvenile Justice started in 1966 as the State Advisory Board of Juvenile Services (Chapter 126, Acts of 1966). In 1987, it was renamed the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services and, in 1995, received its present name (Chapter 290, Acts of 1987; Chapter 8, Acts of 1995). The Board recommends to the Secretary of Juvenile Justice policies and programs to improve State juvenile services. The Board helps plan development and use of resources and helps inform the public of the work of the Department.

Appointed by the Governor to three-year terms, the Board consists of eighteen members. The Governor names the chair (Code 1957, Art. 83C, secs. 2-106 through 2-110).

JUVENILE JUSTICE ADVISORY COUNCIL
Within the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Juvenile Justice Advisory Council formed in 1984 as an independent unit (Executive Order 01.01.1984.08). In 1987, the Council was placed under the Juvenile Services Agency (Executive Order 01.01.1987.21). The Council became part of the Governor's Office in 1988 (Executive Order 01.01.1988.01). As a subcommittee of the Governor's Advisory Board for Justice Administration, the Council reformed in 1992 (Executive Order 01.01.1992.02). In 1995, the Council transferred to the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention (Executive Order 01.01.1995.18) and, in June 2002, to the Department of Juvenile Justice (Executive Order 01.01.2002.02).

The Council advises the Governor and State agencies on the juvenile justice system and prevention of juvenile delinquency. The Council also is the designated State agency to receive formula grant funds under provisions of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-415), as amended by the Juvenile Justice Amendments of 1992 (P.L. 102-586). In accordance with the federal act, the Council develops an annual plan, establishes grant procedures, and awards grants to State and local government agencies for projects that support juvenile justice and prevent delinquency.

The Council consists of from fifteen to thirty-three members appointed by the Governor to three-year terms. The Governor names the chair.

FEMALE POPULATION TASK FORCE
The Female Population Task Force was created by the Secretary of Juvenile Services in April 1992. The Task Force demographically defined young women offenders and formed a plan to improve services to them. A report issued in September 1993 contained the plan. Meeting monthly, the Task Force now monitors the implementation of its recommendations and serves as an advisory board for statewide issues concerning young women offenders.

JUDGES, MASTERS & JUVENILE JUSTICE COMMITTEE
To fashion a formal means of communication between the Department and the courts, the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the Director of the Juvenile Services Agency formed the Judicial Liaison Committee in 1990. In 1996, it was renamed Judges, Masters and Juvenile Justice Committee. Members meet to discuss common problems, resource needs, policy decisions, and legislative recommendations. The Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals appoints the judicial representation. The Secretary of Juvenile Justice appoints representatives of the Department. The chair alternates yearly between the Chief Judge and the Secretary, who serve ex officio.

JUVENILE JUSTICE COORDINATING COUNCIL
In September 2000, the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the Secretary of Juvenile Justice formed the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council. The Council fosters communication, collaboration, and coordination among the courts, the department, and agencies (public or private) who provide services to the children within the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system.

STATE'S ATTORNEYS LIAISON COMMITTEE
The State's Attorneys Liaison Committee was initiated in 1991 by the President of the State's Attorneys Association and the Secretary of Juvenile Services to enhance cooperation between the Department and State's Attorneys. The Committee first met in January 1992. Originally, members were chosen by the Secretary and the Association President. Now, the Committee is self-perpetuating.

FISCAL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT
Fiscal Planning and Management began as Special Programs and reorganized as Specialized Operations in 1996. Functions of Specialized Operations were assigned to Budget and Finance in January 1997. Renamed Fiscal Planning and Management in 2002, this office oversees Accounting; Budget; Managing for Results; and Risk Management.

Fiscal Planning and Management seeks funding for the special needs of children. This responsibility started in 1992, when the Department began participating in federal funding initiatives. Under Title IV-E of the federal Social Security Act, the State receives federal funds to maintain eligible children in foster care (P.L. 96-272).

From February to September 1995, the federal Emergency Services to Families with Children Program reimbursed the State for emergency services provided to needy families in crisis (Social Security Act, Title IV-A; federal Regulation 45CFR233.120). These social services were provided when family emergencies threatened or endangered children. When federal funding stopped, the State program ceased.

ADMISSIONS & COMMUNITY JUSTICE

ADMISSIONS

In 1989, Admissions was established as the Program Support Services Division. Renamed the Program Services Division in 1990, it merged in 1992 with the Administrative Services Division to form the Administrative and Program Services Division. In 1996, administrative services were assigned to Administration (under the Deputy Secretary), and the Division resumed its former name as the Program Services Division. In 2000, it reorganized as Admissions under Restorative Justice Operations. In January 2002, the division transferred to Admissions and Community Justice.

Admissions provided by private contractors to youth under the care and custody of the Department are developed, implemented, and monitored by the Division. The Division places juveniles in residential and nonresidential programs, coordinates substance abuse treatment, and licenses and certifies service providers to the Department. The Division also obtains grants, and develops programs eligible for funding through federal entitlement.

Under the Division are three programs: Grants and Program Development; Health Care Services; and Intake.

GRANTS & PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Grants and Program Development started as Program and Contract Development in October 1992 and received its present name in 1998. The unit defines programs and contract specifications for services provided by the private sector. These services include management of residential facilities and community detention; and counseling, drug treatment, mentoring, and community service programs.

HEALTH CARE SERVICES

MEDICAL SERVICES
Medical Services began as Health Services within the Residential Services Division and transferred to Health Care Services under its present name in 2000. Medical Services coordinates and oversees health care for youth admitted to the Department's care and custody. Medical services include an assessment of immediate medical needs by a nurse, a physical examination and health history, immunizations, laboratory tests, dietary services, dental care, sick care, and emergency treatment.

Many youth entering Department facilities have behaved irresponsibly and face complex health problems, such as chronic untreated medical conditions, sexually transmitted diseases, illnesses related to drug or alcohol abuse, tuberculosis, teenage pregnancy, or a poor self-image. Medical Services teaches youth to prevent disease and take responsibility for their health.

Medical Services also provides clinical, managerial and administrative guidance to health service personnel in Department facilities and programs. The nurse manager at Medical Services advises nurses at juvenile facilities on treatment. The nurse manager also tracks youth from one juvenile facility to another, monitoring their health care. For physicians who treat youth in the Department's care, and for pharmacy and medical laboratory services provided to these youth, Medical Services writes and manages contracts. It also oversees intergovernmental agreements for health care to youth in Department facilities. In addition, Medical Services monitors expenditures for services and organizes continuing education seminars for clinicians.

Medical Services oversees Dietetic Services and Nursing Services.

INTAKE

PLACEMENT & RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Placement and Resource Management secures placements for juveniles in residential and nonresidential programs. At area offices of juvenile justice throughout Maryland, the unit's resource coordinators meet with case managers to assess a child's needs for education, socialization, and health services. They determine which Department program best meets these needs while protecting public safety. The unit monitors the case until the minor is accepted into a program, and placement and other services are funded.

COMMUNITY JUSTICE SUPERVISION

Community Justice Supervision originated as the Court Services Division. Reorganized in 1988 as the Direct Care Services Division, it became the Field Services Division in 1989. Adopting its present name in 2000, it was placed under Restorative Justice Operations. In January 2002, the division transferred to Admissions and Community Justice.

To administer intake, probation, and aftercare for delinquent youth, the State is divided into seven areas with local field offices serving each county and Baltimore City. Youths who break the law or exhibit uncontrollable behavior enter the juvenile justice system through these local offices.

Young people may be referred to a local office of juvenile justice by law enforcement agencies, other government agencies, parents, or concerned citizens. Following referral, an intake officer assesses the youth and determines the most appropriate course of action. The intake officer may recommend formal court proceedings; place the minor on voluntary informal supervision for up to 90 days; dismiss the youth with a warning; or disapprove a case for insufficient evidence.

Through intake services, the Division decides for each minor whether court proceedings are appropriate. The Division also recommends to the court whether adjudicated delinquents should be placed on probation, in a day program, or committed to a residential facility. During probation and throughout the youth's stay at a residential facility, the Division maintains contact with a juvenile's case manager. Minors are monitored in a similar fashion after their release.

Community Justice Supervision is responsible for Community Detention and Electronic Monitoring; Community Resource Development; Interstate Compact; and oversight of area offices of juvenile justice.

COMMUNITY DETENTION & ELECTRONIC MONITORING
For youth awaiting court trial or review, Community Detention and Electronic Monitoring is an alternative to incarceration. Juveniles may remain at home in their community under intensive supervision by daily face-to-face or telephone contact and through surveillance by electronic monitoring.

DEPARTMENTAL SUPPORT

Under Departmental Support are Capital Planning and Facility Maintenance; Information Technology and Telecommunications; Personnel Management; Professional Development and Training; and Procurement.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY & ACCOUNTABILITY

MANAGEMENT SERVICES & QUALITY ASSURANCE

To ensure compliance with contracts and federal and State regulations, Management Services and Quality Assurance oversees those private firms licensed or certified by the Department to provide residential and nonresidential services for troubled youth. For each program, this office develops an annual monitoring plan. Staff then visit each site to check physical plants; conduct investigations; verify any corrective acts taken to comply with State and federal regulations; interview staff and students; and observe programs.

Residential programs are licensed by the Department every two years. On the off-year, Management Services and Quality Assurance audits each program and issues a report for each facility.

RESIDENTIAL SERVICES DIVISION

In 1987, the Residential Services Division started as the Institution and Detention Services Division. It became the Facilities and Residential Services Division in 1989 and reorganized as the Residential Services Division in 1992.

The Division oversees State residences for youth committed or detained by the court. Serving committed juveniles are two community-based facilities in Baltimore City and five youth centers in Western Maryland. Four detention centers hold minors awaiting trial or disposition. The Division also is responsible statewide for transporting youth between court and State facilities.

STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION
Statewide Transportation conveys youth from State residences to the courts and back again.

COMMITTED PROGRAMS

Committed Programs was initiated as Residential Programs and reorganized as Committed Programs in 1992. In 1996, it was renamed Committed and Detention Programs and reformed under its present name in 2000. For youth committed by the courts, the Residential Services Division runs seven residential facilities. They are the Maryland Youth Residence Center and the William Donald Schaefer House in Baltimore City, and five Youth Centers in Western Maryland. In December 2002, the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center is scheduled to open.

MARYLAND YOUTH RESIDENCE CENTER
721 Woodbourne Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21212

The Maryland Youth Residence Center began in 1972 as a residence for delinquent boys committed by the court. In June 1994, it was converted to a shelter care facility for up to thirty boys, ages 12 to 18. Under the Shelter Care Program, boys who need supervision but are not deemed dangerous are housed here while they await a court hearing or placement in another residence. The Center provides them with education, recreation, medical services, and individual, group and family counseling. The Center also houses up to twelve boys, ages 16 to 18, who attend the Living Classroom Program, which prepares them for employment in maritime trades.

WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER HOUSE
907-909 Druid Park Lake Drive
Baltimore, MD 21217

Opened in 1972, the Group Home for Boys was renamed for Governor William Donald Schaefer in April 1992. Its program is designed for young men, ages 14 to 18, with a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Located in a residential community, the House prepares them for independent living. Upon release, youth enter treatment programs in the community for their addictions.

YOUTH CENTERS
Headquarters 326-328
Queen City Drive
Cumberland, MD 21501 - 1400

The Department of Juvenile Justice operates five Youth Centers in Western Maryland. Youth Centers serve older boys committed by various State courts and jurisdictions (Chapter 370, Acts of 1955). To be eligible for a youth center, boys must be at least 14 years of age and in good physical health. At Youth Centers, they live and work outdoors. Group activities are stressed, including group counseling and discussion, and working well in groups is an important goal of treatment.

In 1955, the Youth Centers began as Boys Forestry Camps. They were renamed Youth Centers by the Board of Public Works on September 20, 1977. The Centers and the Washington County Holdover Facility are administered in Cumberland (Code 1957, Art. 83C, sec. 2-117).

WASHINGTON COUNTY HOLDOVER FACILITY
201 North Jonathan St.
Hagerstown, MD 21740

In response to a federal initiative to move minors out of jails for adults, Maryland erected two holdover facilities in the late 1970s. One closed in 1991 due to cost containment. The Washington County Holdover Facility, however, still confines alleged or adjudicated juvenile delinquents. Detention in a holdover facility is limited to less than 72 hours.

BACKBONE MOUNTAIN YOUTH CENTER
Route 1
124 Camp 4 Road
Swanton, MD 21562

In 1964, the General Assembly appropriated funds to establish a forestry camp at Backbone Mountain in Garrett County with room for thirty-five boys (Chapter 159, Acts of 1964). The Camp opened in May 1966. It was renamed Backbone Mountain Youth Center in 1977. Initiated in 1996, the Leadership Challenge Program (known as boot camp) ended at Backbone Mountain in December 1999.

GREEN RIDGE YOUTH CENTER
P. O. Box 51
Fifteen Mile Creek Road
Flintstone, MD 21530 - 0051

Green Ridge Youth Center started in May 1955 as Green Ridge Forestry Camp for Boys in Allegany County. Originally, the Camp was run by the State Department of Public Welfare in cooperation with the State Department of Forests and Parks. In 1977, the Camp was renamed Green Ridge Youth Center. Located outside of Flintstone, the Center accommodates thirty-five boys.

MAPLE RUN YOUTH CENTER
P. O. Box 104
Jacobs Road
Flintstone, MD 21530 - 0104

The General Assembly appropriated funds in 1965 to establish a forestry camp at Maple Run in the Green Ridge State Forest, Allegany County (Chapter 743, Acts of 1965). In April 1967, the Camp opened with facilities for thirty-five boys. The Camp was renamed Maple Run Youth Center in 1977.

MEADOW MOUNTAIN YOUTH CENTER
234 Recovery Road
Grantsville, MD 21535 - 0075

Meadow Mountain Youth Center formed as Meadow Mountain Forestry Camp for Boys in June 1958 (Chapter 454, Acts of 1957). The Camp reopened as Meadow Mountain Youth Center in October 1984. In Garrett County, the Center has facilities for thirty boys. Started in 1998, its Leadership Challenge Program (known as boot camp), concluded in December 1999.

SAVAGE MOUNTAIN YOUTH CENTER
164 Freedom Lane
Lonaconing, MD 21539

The success of the first boys' forestry camp at Green Ridge prompted the General Assembly to appropriate funds for additional facilities in 1956 (Chapter 98, Acts of 1956). Lonaconing Forestry Camp for Boys opened in December 1957. Renamed Savage Mountain Youth Center in 1977, the Center can accommodate thirty-five boys. In December 1999, the Center closed. It is scheduled to reopen in April 2001.

DETENTION CENTERS

The Residential Services Division oversees four detention centers: J. DeWeese Carter Center; Cheltenham Youth Facility; Alfred D. Noyes Children's Center; and Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center.

J. DeWEESE CARTER CENTER
P. O. Box 229
Scheeler Road
Chestertown, MD 21620 - 0229

In rural Kent County, the J. DeWeese Carter Center is a secure detention facility for fifteen youths (from as young as age 9 to as old as age 18). The Center provides emergency detention facilities to the nine counties of the Eastern Shore (Code 1957, Art. 83C, sec. 2-117). Opened in August 1982, it was named for Judge J. DeWeese Carter (1904-1977), who served on the Court of Special Appeals from 1971 to 1973.

CHELTENHAM YOUTH FACILITY
P. O. Box 160
11001 Frank Tippett Road
Cheltenham, MD 20623 - 0160

The Cheltenham Youth Facility originated in 1870 as the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children (Chapter 392, Acts of 1870). In 1937, it became the Cheltenham School for Boys (Chapter 70, Acts of 1937). The School was renamed Boys' Village of Maryland in 1949 (Chapter 692, Acts of 1949). In May 1991, a unit for girls was transferred to the facility from the Charles H. Hickey, Jr., School. [That unit moved to the Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center in January 2000.] Boys' Village of Maryland was renamed Cheltenham Youth Facility in 1992 (Chapter 8, Acts of 1992).

In Prince George's County, Cheltenham consists of several cottages on a semi-rural campus. The Facility provides for the care and detention of some 125 youths (from as young as age 12 to as old as age 18), awaiting trial or court disposition from Baltimore City, and Prince George's, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties (Code 1957, Art. 83C, sec. 2-117). Another program shelters twenty delinquent youth who need supervision but are not deemed dangerous to themselves or others.

LOWER EASTERN SHORE DETENTION CENTER
The Lower Eastern Shore Detention Center in Salisbury, Wicomico County, is scheduled to open in October 2003. The facility will provide a secure residence for delinquents.

ALFRED D. NOYES CHILDREN'S CENTER
9925 Blackwell Road
Rockville, MD 20850

The Alfred D. Noyes Children's Center was authorized in 1970 (Chapter 101, Acts of 1970; Chapter 179, Acts of 1972, as modified in the General Construction Loan Act of 1974). It was named for Alfred D. Noyes, the Judge for Juvenile Causes in Montgomery County at the time of the Center's creation.

Opened in September 1977, the Center is a secure regional detention facility for youths from Montgomery and western Maryland counties. Located in a semi-urban part of Montgomery County, it can serve forty young people (from as young as age 8 to as old as age 18) (Code 1957, Art. 83C, sec. 2-117).

THOMAS J. S. WAXTER CHILDREN'S CENTER
YOUNG WOMEN'S FACILITY OF MARYLAND AT WAXTER
375 Red Clay Road, SW
Laurel, MD 20724 - 9786

The Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center started in November 1963. Then, it was called the Southern Maryland Children's Center (Chapter 38, Acts of 1962). The Center was renamed in 1963 to honor Thomas J. S. Waxter, the Director of the State Department of Public Welfare from 1953 until his death in 1962. (Chapter 131, Acts of 1963).

The Center is a facility for juvenile detention. In January 2000, it became a facility for females only. Alternately known as the Young Women's Facility of Maryland at Waxter, it houses up to ninety minors (from as young as age 10 to as old as age 19). It also houses a program offering secure commitment for up to twenty-eight girls. Located in a semi-rural part of Anne Arundel County, the Center serves Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, and Prince George's counties, and Baltimore City (Code 1957, Art. 83C, sec. 2-117).

SPECIAL TREATMENT CENTERS

VICTOR CULLEN CENTER
6000 Cullen Drive
Sabillasville, MD 21780

Opened in September 1992, Victor Cullen Center is a secure commitment facility for delinquent boys in northwest Frederick County. The Center is a State facility operated by a private firm under contract with the Department.

Cullen Center treats up to 184 teenage boys who stay an average of six months. It offers intensive vocational education. A six-week culinary arts class readies graduates for jobs in restaurants and hotels, and with catering firms. A thoroughbred horse-breeding program prepares youth for employment in the State's racing industry.

Center origins date to 1908 when the State Sanatorium for tuberculosis patients was established on the site. Placed under the Department of Health in 1949, the Sanatorium was renamed Victor Cullen State Hospital after Victor F. Cullen, M.D., a former member of the State Board of Health. The Hospital reorganized in 1965 as the Victor Cullen School, a training or reform school for boys under the State Department of Public Welfare (Chapter 818, Acts of 1965). The School transferred in 1967 to the Juvenile Services Administration, and in 1974, as the Victor Cullen Center, to what became the Developmental Disabilities Administration of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The Center closed in 1991, reopened under the Department of Juvenile Services as the Victor Cullen Academy in 1992, and since 1995 has continued under the Department of Juvenile Justice. In October 2000, the Academy was renamed again the Victor Cullen Center (Chapter 223, Acts of 2000).

In April 2002, the Center closed temporarily.

CHARLES H. HICKEY, JR., SCHOOL
2400 Cub Hill Road
Baltimore, MD 21234

The Charles H. Hickey, Jr., School began in 1850 as the House of Refuge on Frederick Avenue in Baltimore City (Chapter 374, Acts of 1849). It was an early effort to separate children from adult criminals in jails. Renamed the Maryland School for Boys, it moved in 1910 to its present site near Loch Raven in northern Baltimore County. In 1918, it became the Maryland Training School for Boys (Chapter 300, Acts of 1918). Adopted in 1985, the School's present name honors a former Baltimore County sheriff (Chapter 245, Acts of 1985).

For youth awaiting trial, the Hickey School is a detention center. For young people committed by the court, it is a training school. Short-term commitment is provided for less serious offenses; longer incarceration, for more serious or multiple offenses. The School cares for and treats some 300 delinquent boys and young men, ages 15 to 17, from across Maryland (Code 1957, Art. 83C, sec. 2-117). Since September 1991, the School has been run by private firms under contract with the Department.

O'FARRELL YOUTH CENTER
7960 Henryton Road
Marriottsville, MD 21103

From its opening in 1986, O'Farrell Youth Center has been operated by private firms under contract with the Department. Located in Carroll County, the Center treats drug dealers and juveniles who have committed crimes against people and property. It holds up to forty boys: chronic offenders, ages 13 to 18. They stay an average of nine months in a secure residence.

The Center promotes responsible behavior. Upon discharge, former residents participate in a six-month program to help them avoid crime after rejoining the community. A set of goals is defined for each youth. Usually, this involves a job, school, or work-study leading to a high school diploma. Getting along with parents and siblings is another common aim, while some seek outpatient counseling or treatment. Progress in meeting goals is monitored and may involve participation by the supervising case manager.

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

Educational Services receives funding from and is subject to rules and regulations of the State Department of Education. To receive federal funds, it provides special education that meets the needs of disadvantaged youth. Most facilities also offer vocational training.

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