PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The population in Philadelphia’s Juvenile Justice Services Center is down to its capacity of about 180 for the first time in nearly four years, relieving the overcrowding that officials said had endangered staff and residents.
The center was built to house young offenders while they wait for a hearing, but in early 2020, state facilities slowed the pace at which they accepted youths who had been sentenced to state custody — even though they had beds available — because they said they wanted to maintain a low staff-to-child ratio.
That meant those residents stayed at the JJSC, and the population ballooned to nearly 250 by last July.
Commonwealth Court Judge Ellen Ceisler twice ordered the state to take the juveniles assigned to its facilities as quickly as possible until the Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center was down to capacity. However, the overcrowding continued.
Last month, with the population remaining above 200, the city asked Ceisler to find the state in contempt.
A spokesperson for the city’s Law Department said that pressure worked. The state has been taking more kids, and a hearing on the contempt request scheduled for this week was canceled, but the case remains active, so city officials declined further comment.
On Friday, the state said, "The Shapiro Administration is committed to being a collaborative partner with counties across the Commonwealth, as well as the Juvenile Court Judges Commission (JCJC), to consider all options to address juvenile detention capacity needs."
"In the last few years, DHS has faced a significant rise in youth ordered to its facilities, especially from Philadelphia County. Many of these youths are court-ordered to DHS custody for periods of time far exceeding the traditional timeframe for treatment, taking limited bed space. While DHS does not control timelines for stay or release – that decision lies solely with juvenile courts – we have prioritized working to support our capacity in our secure treatment facilities. We have established two new facilities and we are continuing to pursue additional options to expand physical capacity, and at PJJSC we are now beginning to see the results of this hard work."
"As we continue to pursue options and partnerships to alleviate overcapacity at DHS facilities and pressure at the county level, we must remember that adjudication is the last point of this process. We are working with all involved parties, including the General Assembly and Philadelphia City Council, to find short- and long-term solutions, especially prevention and diversion strategies, that can help strengthen this system, support families, and help youth before they become involved in the justice system. We have worked and will continue to work in good faith to be a partner to both Philadelphia and the 66 other counties that also need secure care placements."
City Council members cheered the news.
“No one should be subjugated to such inhumane conditions, especially our children,” said Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
“These kids matter. Their lives matter. And they should be treated in a way that is just and humane.”
Gauthier co-sponsored a resolution with Councilmember Curtis Jones calling on the state General Assembly to give young offenders credit toward time served while they’re waiting in local detention centers, which they said would also relieve overcrowding.
Advocates are happy the overcrowding has been relieved but said much more work is needed to permanently reduce the number of young people who are incarcerated.
“We still do need to enact measures to reduce the universe of youth that are subject to the juvenile justice system,” said Malik Pickett, a senior attorney for the Juvenile Law Center.