BALTIMORE (AP) – A new report by the Maryland Attorney General has found that several youth detention facilities in Maryland lack of supervision, treatment and educational opportunities for the juveniles who are incarcerated across the state.
The report describes dismal conditions at some youth facilities under review in Maryland, including maximum-security jails as well as lower security youth centers.
It says they are dangerous and lack fundamental services such as educational opportunities, mental health treatment and recreational activities.
The report recommends the facilities increase treatment options, and work harder to keep youth closer to their families - a problem the report identifies as having an adverse impact on young people in custody.
The troubled Victor Cullen Center in Frederick, a high-security facility for 32 boys, was among the facilities reviewed, and received the harshest assessment.
There were 21 assaults and seven attacks on staff members at the facility during the first four months of the year.
Physical restraint was used 51 times, and handcuffs and shackles were employed 47 times.
An alleged sexual assault on a youth, the report read, "occurred at least partly as a result of failed staff supervision."
At the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, assaults increased by 42 percent from this time last year.
The report was released in May.
