Wayne County ends public health emergency at juvenile jail after cutting crowding

Wayne County officials on Monday ended a public health emergency at the Juvenile Detention Facility that began in March after months of overcrowding, understaffing and an alleged sexual assault of a child.

The county dedicated $10 million toward addressing the facility's needs and has worked with the Wayne County Circuit Court and the state to reduce the population, increase staffing, expand placements, spread the kids out and start offering mental health treatment, among other improvements, according to a press release from Wayne County Executive Warren Evans' office. The number of detainees has been cut 16%, according to county numbers.

The alleged sexual assault of a child in March prompted the state Department of Health and Human Services to intervene in the operations of the JDF following months of pleas for help from county officials.

Wages at the JDF were increased 35% across the board, which allowed the county to hire an additional 54 people since March, according to Evans' office. Another 60 positions are open. The county also hired two new deputy directors and is in the process of hiring a third.

Abdul El-Sayed, the director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services, told The Detroit News on Monday the county has "fundamentally changed the experience of a young person in the facility." Juveniles now have access to showers, hygiene products and clean underwear daily and are not spending most of their days locked in their rooms, he said. They have more recreation and in-person learning time as well, El-Sayed said.

The assault remains under investigation, the county health director said.

"We've used this emergency to answer two key questions: How do we best protect and provide for the youths under our care, and how do we make sure their time at JDF helps them in their long-term rehabilitation?" El-Sayed said in a statement. "While there's a lot more to improve and build upon, we feel that the work we've done during the emergency has provided a solid foundation for that work."

In March, when the public health emergency was declared, there were 134 juveniles in the facility, which is only designed to hold about 80 ideally, according to the county. On Monday, 113 juveniles were being held at the JDF, a 16% reduction, and the number has gone as low as 105.

The kids have also been spread out across the facility to reduce crowding, according to the Evans administration. The county more than doubled the space where the juveniles were residing, allowing there to be no more than 20 juveniles per pod, where there used to be upwards of 50. The kids are now also separated by age and criminal charge, which is a best practice in juvenile detention, according to the county's press release.

Mental health services

The county also created a new space for juveniles to receive mental health treatment. The treatment program will begin in 10 days on June 15, according to the press release. The space is operated in partnership with Team Wellness, a Detroit-based behavioral health center.

The JDF has ordered computer tablets that have been tailored specifically for use in a detention facility that would allow teens to use them for educational purposes and entertainment, said El-Sayed, who added that he knows from his own time as a teenage boy, "boredom for me was the enemy of good behavior."

Team Wellness also created a day treatment program for juveniles to expand possible placements for the teens, according to the press release. This could reduce long-term stays for kids whose cases have already been settled and are only in the JDF awaiting a treatment bed.

Right now, there are 40 youths who have had their cases adjudicated and are awaiting placement in a treatment facility, El-Sayed said. This is far lower than the 75 or 80 kids in limbo the facility had at one point before the public health emergency declaration in March.

Once the Team Wellness program is implemented, more children will be able to go home on a GPS tether and spend their days at the Team Wellness day treatment facility, El-Sayed said.

"This has been an entire County effort. Ensuring the safety of both staff and youth at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility has always been the goal. But that also means thinking broadly about their well-being — about making sure the youth get the help they desperately need," County Executive Evans said in a statement. "We're now working collaboratively with partners on the local and state levels so that we can move toward reform and transformation."

Wayne Co., state at odds over blame for deteriorating juvenile jail

Wayne County officials said in March they had been pleading with state officials for nearly 16 months for help managing the overcrowded detention center. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel said discussions began in earnest in September, when county officials determined the detention facility was not meeting their needs.

Hertel told The Detroit News in March that staffers had reported that some kids hadn't had access to showers in months and did not have hygiene products or clean underwear.

Wayne County Circuit Court Chief Judge Patricia Fresard said then that the facility was in a "crisis." She blamed the MDHHS for this, because she said the state has continued to close residential placement centers without opening alternatives, which led to a shortage of treatment beds in the state, forcing kids to stay in overcrowded detention centers until a spot opens up.

County reaches 'inflection point'

Deputy County Executive Assad Turfe said the lifting of the public health emergency is an "inflection point" for the JDF. While there is much more to be done, he said, they are working on a solid foundation now. There's not a quick fix for the issues at the JDF, but "the work to create change and transformation is underway."

State Health and Human Services Director Hertel said she is pleased with the strides the county has made in the past two and a half months to address the state's concerns with the JDF.

"MDHHS has worked diligently to expand bed capacity, connect the county with partners like Team Wellness, provide guidance and overcome hurdles to support the safety of youth in detention," Hertel said in a statement. "We are thankful to our partners across child welfare who have worked together with us to address the systemic and persistent issues within the juvenile justice system statewide."

Wayne County juvenile jail woes like 'deja vu' since issues date back to 1990s

The county's new juvenile detention facility, which is expected to open this year, gives the county motivation to continue moving forward, said Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell, D-Detroit.

"The emergency at the Juvenile Detention Facility not only required the county to take quick, decisive action but also to take a good, hard look how young people were being treated there and address the shortcomings," Bell said. "By placing greater emphasis on mental health issues and creating space this month to provide treatment, we are moving in the right direction."

kberg@detroitnews.com