Whistleblower Exposes Troubling Conditions in Maryland’s Juvenile Detention Centers

A current Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) employee has come forward with serious allegations about deteriorating conditions in the state’s juvenile justice facilities. The whistleblower, a corrections officer with several years of experience, claims the agency is facing critical challenges under Secretary Vincent Schiraldi’s leadership.

Key Issues Reported:

Staffing Shortages:

• Extreme overtime, with some staff working up to 20-hour shifts
• Staff-to-youth ratios as low as 1-to-8
• Increased employee turnover through resignations and leave requests

Safety Concerns:

• Detained youth becoming more aggressive, frequently threatening staff
• A reported sexual incident involving a staff member and a youth
• Increased drug use and contraband smuggling within facilities

Contraband Problems:

• Teens openly requesting illegal items from staff
• Documented increases in contraband at multiple detention centers
• Drugs like suboxone being frequently smuggled in

The agency’s July performance report highlighted significant overtime increases, with some detention centers seeing up to 88% more overtime hours. A recent Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit report corroborated many of the whistleblower’s concerns about contraband and facility management.

Neither Governor Wes Moore’s office nor DJS responded to requests for comment on these serious allegations.

The report draws parallels with a concurrent...

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