Colleen Grablick / DCist/WAMU
An office that independently monitors conditions in D.C’s juvenile detention facilities will close in January, with the Mayoral order establishing it set to expire and no potential extension on the horizon.
The Bowser administration’s decision to sunset The Office of Independent Juvenile Justice Facilities Oversight (OIJJFO) comes at a time when conditions in D.C.’s juvenile detention facilities are under intense scrutiny. Some advocates and councilmembers are arguing against the decision to close the office now, when DC’s juvenile detention facilities are more crowded than they’ve been in years.
In July, DCist/WAMU reported that kids at the Youth Services Center (YSC) — the city’s pretrial detention facility for youth — were being confined to their cells for extended periods of time in part because of extreme staffing shortages. Late last month, a brawl at the facility that injured five staff members received a wave of media attention, once again placing a spotlight on conditions there. And this week, following a tour of the facility, Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White – who chairs the committee that oversees youth detention in the District – toured YSC and told reporters afterwards that conditions inside were “alarming.”
Amid these growing concerns about conditions for detained youth, OIJJFO — whose staff have unfettered access to D.C.’s youth detention facilities and the ability to interview both staff and detained youth — has served as a...
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