The District's Department of Youth & Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) is making “signs of progress” in its efforts to address issues within the agency, a D.C. superior court judge says.
A hearing was held Wednesday to determine whether DYRS has been able to provide additional beds inside shelter homes, specifically for girls. DYRS Director Sam Abed laid out the steps the agency has taken since the last hearing in November.
Since then, the director says, the agency has renovated space for 10 more beds, hired 14 new staff members and brought in a new deputy director, medical director and chief of staff.
The judge said it is imperative for DYRS to fix its issues as soon as possible, as she noted the rise in juvenile crime and the need for judges to place youth offenders in the right facilities.
Typically, when an underage offender is awaiting a trial, they may be released to home detention with a parent or guardian, sent to a shelter home or what is considered a youth jail.
Halfway houses allow young offenders to go to school, work if they have a job and have visits if they have good behavior.
On Wednesday, Eduardo Ferrer, a visiting professor at the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative, weighed in on DYRS' plan, saying, “I think it’s important that we hold adults accountable just like we've been talking about holding kids accountable, for making sure we’re providing safe, supportive bed space when it’s ordered by the court."
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He continued, “What would really help is if we got serious about providing kids with what they need in schools, with behavioral health, with direct economic assistance, with housing support."
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an emergency order last month that provides incentives to private companies to provide more shelter home beds for girls.
The director of DYRS said that order helped to bring in more beds, with more coming in the future.
DYRS previously was warned it could be held in contempt of court over the shortage of beds at shelter housing and the placement of juveniles in the Youth Services Center. During Wednesday's hearing, the judge issued a continuance on the motion for contempt, given that DYRS has shown progress. The agency is required to provide a status report on their efforts before the next court date, set for Dec. 19.
