VACo was recently invited to participate in workgroup discussions regarding the state’s system of juvenile detention centers, an effort convened by Senator Dave Marsden that kicked off on June 30 with tours of the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center and the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center, which serves Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, and the City of Falls Church. Jason Houtz, Superintendent of the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center, and Johnitha McNair, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center, led the tours of their respective facilities, showcasing the unique programming in each center, as well as common themes and challenges. Several legislators and staff members from legislative offices participated in the tours and discussion.
Both facility leaders spoke about the importance of providing a safe, caring environment with structure and predictability for the youth in their care, and the challenges involved in serving youth who are pre-disposition (awaiting court action), who typically have short stays in the facility, at the same time as youth who have been ordered to juvenile detention by a judge (post-disposition), whose stays are longer. Both tours highlighted the educational offerings in each facility. Youth in juvenile detention centers are required to receive educational services within 24 hours of admittance, and state Code mandates that these services be comparable to what is offered in the public school system. Juvenile detention center operations are largely funded by local dollars, with support from the state’s block grant, but education within juvenile detention centers is funded by the state.
Between tours, Senator Marsden shared background on the history of juvenile detention facilities in Virginia, pointing out that the number of youth detained and committed has declined significantly since the late 1990s, enabling the state to close all but one juvenile correctional center. While he lauded the quality of services delivered in the juvenile detention system, he strongly encouraged the pursuit of efficiencies, arguing that the facilities operate below capacity and suggesting that savings achieved through consolidating facilities could be reinvested in enhanced services for youth. Several members of the workgroup encouraged a narrower focus on potential efficiencies in the educational services offered within detention centers, contending that the state’s role is more clearly delineated in this aspect of juvenile detention. These discussions follow a review by the Commission on Youth and a subsequent workgroup convened by the Department of Juvenile Justice at the direction of language in the state budget; throughout these earlier studies, VACo has maintained that decisions about consolidating facilities should be made by the affected local governments who are the owners of the facilities, so that the benefits and drawbacks can be fully considered.
The workgroup is expected to meet again later this year in central Virginia and in Hampton Roads.
VACo Contact: Katie Boyle