PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Commonwealth Court judge has scheduled a hearing on whether to hold the state in contempt for not moving faster to help solve overcrowding at Philadelphia’s Juvenile Justice Services Center.
The state and city have been locked in a battle for nearly two years, since the justice center began to exceed its maximum population of 184. The city blames the overcrowding on the state for not taking youth who’ve been sentenced to state custody.
Judge Ellen Ceisler has twice ordered the state to take a specific number of youth — the most recent being in July — who were waiting in the Juvenile Justice Center to begin their sentence in state facilities.
The state has taken 59 youth since the order was issued, but the justice center remains overcrowded and the city charges that the state, under the judge’s order, should be taking more.
Young offenders often wait months in the justice center because the state is understaffed. So, even though it has empty beds, the state says it is at full capacity.
Meanwhile, the justice center regularly has more than 200 in residence, causing problems ranging from violent fights to missed medical visits.
In its request for a contempt order, the city argues that the state is obligated to get the center’s population down to 184 and that it should have to pay $12,000 each day for every young offender who stays in the center for more than 30 days after being sentenced to the state.
The state calls the city’s arguments “so meritless as to border on the farcical,” and says it’s making a huge effort to staff up, including increasing pay, and taking as many youth as possible.
The hearing is set for Nov. 16.