DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE SERVICES

FUNCTIONS

[photo, One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland] The Department of Juvenile Services provides care and treatment, consistent with the public safety, to boys and girls under the age of eighteen who violate the criminal law, or are likely to violate the law, or whose behavior is such that they may endanger themselves or others. Whenever feasible, the Department serves troubled youth in their homes or in residences within the community (Code Human Services Article, secs. 9-101 through 9-410).

Department of Juvenile Services, One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland, March 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Probation, that is, the supervision of youngsters who are adjudicated delinquent but not institutionalized, is the responsibility of the Department of Juvenile Services, as is aftercare, the supervision and counseling of minors for a prescribed period of time upon their release from an institution. The Department also administers community-based residential programs, and nonresidential and residential services provided by private vendors.

Since 1969, through field offices located in each county and Baltimore City, intake officers from the Department of Juvenile Services also receive and process complaints filed against juveniles. Most complaints come from the police after a juvenile has been arrested, but parents, teachers, social workers, or any citizen may file a complaint.

In Fiscal Year 2014, the Department received 25,108 juvenile complaints, usually from the police or the courts. From those complaints, 1,196 juveniles were committed to the care of the Department, either in contractual facilities, evening reporting centers, or community detention centers, or through evidence-based services. While awaiting disposition of their cases, 4,805 youths were detained in the Department's seven secure detention facilities.

Upon receipt of a complaint, the intake officer makes a preliminary inquiry as to whether court proceedings are in the child's best interest and then may resolve the complaint out of court through informal supervision or diversion to community-based services, file a petition for court action, or dismiss the complaint. Many complaints are resolved without court action. When a petition for court action is filed, the intake officer recommends whether detention is necessary prior to adjudication, and a detention hearing is held in juvenile court. Pending adjudication, youths may be placed in community detention - with or without electronic monitoring; day and evening reporting centers; and private alternative programs. Next, an adjudicatory hearing determines whether the child is delinquent or in need of supervision. Then, a disposition hearing decides on adequate treatment for the child, either at home, under community supervision, in an out-of-home residence, or for those categorized as dangerous to themselves and others, through commitment to a secure institution.

The Department is responsible for providing care to youth adjudicated delinquent or children in need of supervision (CINS) and developing programs for the "predelinquent" child, one whose behavior is likely to lead to contact with law enforcement agencies (Chapter 480, Acts of 1971). For children in need of assistance (CINA), local departments of social services are responsible for their care (Chapter 343, Acts of 1991). Youth committed to the care of the Department may be placed in traditional and treatment foster homes; group homes; independent living programs; residential treatment centers; and intermediate care centers for addicted youth, which include the Department's Youth Centers.

In the past twenty-five years, the State has altered the way it cares for troubled youth. Maryland no longer relies solely on custodial care in institutions to treat juveniles who have violated the law. The reform initiatives of the Department are characterized by the 1988 closing of the Montrose School, the 1991 privatization of the Charles H. Hickey, Jr., School, and expansion of community-based alternatives to institutionalization. Nonetheless, juveniles who pose a risk to public safety still may be confined in detention centers. For juveniles awaiting trial or court disposition, the Department's detention centers also provide short-term residential care. Public and private residential programs serving troubled youth are licensed by the Department.

Since 2007, the Department is required to provide services to the youth in its care on a regional basis, and may only place a child outside of the child's home region if the child requires specialized services not available in the home region. Also, any facility in which the Department detains or commits a child must not have more than forty-eight children committed or detained at the same time. Further, Department services to youth must ensure the safety both of the community and the child served; hold delinquent children accountable to victims and communities; and assist the children in its care to develop skills to become successful members of society (Chapter 498, Acts of 2007; Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-238.1).

[photo, One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland]

OFFICE OF SECRETARY

One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, MD 21201

Appointed by the Governor with Senate advice and consent, the Secretary of Juvenile Services heads the Department of Juvenile Services (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-202).

One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland, March 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

The Secretary of Juvenile Services serves on the Governor's Executive Council; the Children's Cabinet; the Advisory Council to the Children's Cabinet; and the Governor's Overdose Prevention Council. The Secretary also is a member of the Behavioral Health Advisory Council; the Cease Fire Council; the State Child Fatality Review Team; the State Coordinating Council for Children; the Correctional Training Commission; the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Baltimore City; the Governor's Commission for Effective Community Inclusion of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; the Governor's Family Violence Council; the Interagency Council on Homelessness; the Judges, Masters and Juvenile Justice Committee; the Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council; the Juvenile Grant Planning and Review Council; the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services; the Coordinating Council for Juvenile Services Educational Programs; the State Council for Interstate Juvenile Supervision; the Interdepartmental Advisory Committee for Minority Affairs; the Council for the Procurement of Health, Educational and Social Services; the Work Group to Study Safe Harbor Policy for Youth Victims of Human Trafficking; the Sexual Offender Advisory Board; the Maryland Commission on Suicide Prevention; the Vehicle Theft Prevention Council; the State Board of Victim Services; the Board of Directors, Maryland Workforce Corporation; the Governor's Workforce Investment Board; and the Youth Apprenticeship Advisory Committee.

Under the Secretary, the Department is organized by two main functions: Operations, and Support Services. The Office of the Secretary also is assisted by the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services; the Female Population Task Force; the Judges, Masters, and Juvenile Justice Committee; and the State's Attorneys Liaison Committee. Two offices report directly to the Secretary: Inspector General; and Legislation, Policy, and Communications.

CHIEF OF STAFF

The Chief of Staff oversees Fair Practice and Equal Employment Opportunity.

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

The Office of Inspector General began in July 2000 as the Office of Professional Responsibility and Accountability. It was created to ensure internal accountability and professionalism throughout the Department and its institutions. In March 2004, the Office moved under the Chief of Staff, and in December 2004, under Administration. The Office reorganized in June 2007 as the Office of Investigations and Audits. In January 2008, its audit function was separated out, and the Office reformed as the Office of Investigations and Advocacy. In July 2008, it reorganized again under its present name, and in July 2011 was placed under the Office of Secretary.

Under the Office are four main units: Child Advocacy; Internal Audit; Investigations; and Quality Assurance.

INTERNAL AUDIT
Internal Audit began as separate units for residential and nonresidential monitoring called Standards and Compliance. They combined in 1993 as Residential and Nonresidential Monitoring. In July 1993, the unit was renamed Program Monitoring and, in 1996, Standards and Compliance. It transferred from Admissions to the Office of Professional Responsibility and Accountability in 2000 as Management Services and Quality Assurance. In July 2002, it reorganized as Audits and Compliance, and in January 2008 as Audit. In February 2009, renamed Internal Audit, it transferred to the Office of Resource Management. In January 2010, it moved to the Office of Quality Assurance and Accountability, and in July 2011 to the Office of Inspector General.

To ensure compliance with contracts and federal and State regulations, Internal Audit oversees those private firms licensed or certified by the Department to provide residential and nonresidential services for troubled youth. For each program, this office develops an annual monitoring plan. Staff then visit each site to check physical plants; conduct investigations; verify any corrective acts taken to comply with State and federal regulations; interview staff and students; and observe programs.

Residential programs are licensed by the Department every two years. On the off-year, this unit audits each program and issues a report for each facility.

QUALITY ASSURANCE
Quality Assurance originated under the Office of Quality Assurance and Accountability as Program Evaluation. When Program Evaluation transferred to the Office of Inspector General in July 2011, it reformed as Quality Assurance.

For compliance with Departmental standards, Quality Assurance monitors private-provider programs, out-of-state residential programs, and community-based programs where the Department of Juvenile Services places youths for treatment and supervision. For those programs which must be licensed by the Department, Quality Assurance oversees the licensing process.

[photo, One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland]

OPERATIONS

One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, MD 21201

In 2000, Operations first organized as Restorative Justice Operations, reformed in January 2002 as Admissions and Community Justice, and reverted to its original name in January 2003. It restructured as Programs in March 2004, as Operations in March 2005, as Regional Operations in December 2008, and again as Operations in February 2009.

One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland, March 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Under Operations are five offices: Behavioral Health and Victim Services; Commitment Facilities; Community Operations; Detention Services; and Somatic Health Services. Operations also oversees six regional offices. Each region is responsible for State-operated facilities and the delivery of community services within its geographic boundaries.

OFFICE OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & VICTIM SERVICES

The Office of Behavioral Health and Victim Services began under Programs as Behavioral Health Services in December 2004. It was placed under the Deputy Secretary for Operations in March 2005, moved in December 2008 under Program Services, and became part of the Office of Professional Services in February 2009. It was renamed Behavioral Health and Victim Services in July 2011, when it again was placed under the Deputy Secretary for Operations.

The Office of Behavioral Health and Victim Services provides behavioral health assessment and treatment to youth in Departmental facilities, and ensures their smooth transition to community-based treatment.

Two units are overseen by Behavioral Health and Victim Services: Mental Health Services, and Substance Abuse Services.

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES
Substance Abuse Services was initiated by 1992 and reorganized as a separate unit under Health Services in March 2004. In December 2004, it was placed under Behavioral Health Services, and in December 2008 under Program Support, and in February 2009, under Behavioral Health Services.

All juveniles in a detention or committed facility are screened by Substance Abuse Services. Treatment programs are provided for those youths diagnosed as in need of services. Substance Abuse Services also provides preventative education, and works with the eleven Juvenile Drug Courts in Maryland.

OFFICE OF COMMITMENT FACILITIES

In May 2015, the Office of Commitment Facilities formed.

The Office oversees programming, safety and security, education, and transportation services for the Department's seven commitment facilities. These facilities include the Alfred D. Noyes Children's Center; Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center; Charles H. Hickey, Jr., School; Cheltenham Youth Facility; Lower Eastern Shore Children's Center; Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center; and Western Maryland Children's Center.

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY OPERATIONS

Under the Office of Community Operations are Community Detention and Electronic Monitoring, and the Resource Office. The Office of Community Operations also is assisted by the Interstate Compact on Juveniles.

COMMUNITY DETENTION & ELECTRONIC MONITORING
721 Woodburne Ave., Baltimore, MD 21212

For youth awaiting court trial or review, Community Detention and Electronic Monitoring is an alternative to incarceration. Juveniles may remain at home in their community under intensive supervision by daily face-to-face or telephone contact and through surveillance by electronic monitoring. A centralized command center in Baltimore City monitors youth through global positioning systems. Regional staff have contact with monitored youth due to changes in their situation, supervision violations, and equipment malfunction.

RESOURCE OFFICE
The Resource Office began as Placement Services under Community Justice Programs, and was transferred to the Office of Professional Services in February 2009 as Placement. It assumed its present name in February 2010.

For the placement of juveniles in residential and nonresidential programs, the Office establishes policy and standards. At area offices of juvenile justice throughout Maryland, the Office's resource coordinators meet with case managers to assess a child's needs for education, socialization, and health services. They determine which Department program best meets these needs while protecting public safety. The Office monitors the case until the minor is accepted into a program, and placement and other services are funded.

OFFICE OF DETENTION SERVICES

In May 2015, the Office of Detention Services formed to oversee education, programming, safety and security, and transportation services for the Department's seven detention facilities. Detention facilities house youth awaiting disposition or post-disposition and awaiting placement in a committed program.

The Department's detention facilities include the Backbone Mountain Youth Center; Green Ridge Youth Center; J. DeWeese Carter Center; Meadow Mountain Youth Center; Savage Mountain Youth Center; Victor Cullen Center; and William Donald Schaefer House.

OFFICE OF SOMATIC HEALTH SERVICES

Within the Residential Services Division, the Office of Somatic Health Services began as Health Services and transferred to Health Care Services as Medical Services in 2000. It joined Program Support in December 2008, and as Somatic Health Services moved to the Office of Professional Services in February 2009.

The Office of Somatic Health Services coordinates and oversees somatic health and nutrition for youth admitted to the Department's care and custody. Somatic Health services include an assessment of immediate medical needs by a nurse, a physical examination and health history, immunizations, laboratory tests, dietary services, dental care, sick care, and emergency treatment.

Many youth entering Department facilities have behaved irresponsibly and face complex health problems, such as chronic untreated medical conditions, sexually transmitted diseases, illnesses related to drug or alcohol abuse, tuberculosis, teenage pregnancy, or a poor self-image. Somatic Health Services teaches youth to prevent disease and take responsibility for their health.

Somatic Health Services provides clinical, managerial and administrative guidance to health service personnel in Department facilities and programs. The nurse manager at Somatic Health Services advises nurses at juvenile facilities on treatment. The nurse manager also tracks youth from one juvenile facility to another, monitoring their health care. For physicians who treat youth in the Department's care, and for pharmacy and medical laboratory services provided to these youth, Somatic Health Services writes and manages contracts. It also oversees intergovernmental agreements for health care to youth in Department facilities. In addition, Somatic Health Services monitors expenditures for services and organizes continuing education seminars for clinicians.

SPECIAL REVIEWS
Special Reviews began as Best Practices, and adopted its present name in February 2010. It works to implement the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative statewide. Developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Initiative's core strategies seek to: eliminate unnecessary use of secure detention; minimize the rearresting and failure to appear in court of juveniles pending adjudication; improve the conditions where youth are confined; and redirect funding from detention towards sustainable system reform.

Under the Initiative, Special Reviews also works to reduce racial and ethnic disparity in the juvenile justice system in accordance with terms of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Act of 2002. By that law, each state is required to have a disproportionate minority contact coordinator. To reduce the numbers of ethnic and racial minorities who interact with the juvenile justice system in numbers not proportionate to their numbers in the general population, the coordinator receives federal grants to develop and implement strategies that ensure all children are treated fairly and equitably.

REGIONAL OPERATIONS

Under Operations, the State is divided into six regions: Baltimore City, Central, Eastern Shore, Metro, Southern, and Western. In each region, a regional director is responsible for core services, such as intake, probation, aftercare, community detention, and treatment services.

BALTIMORE CITY REGION

The Baltimore City Region is responsible for the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, and the William Donald Schaefer House.

[photo, Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, 300 North Gay St., Baltimore, Maryland] Providing centralized intake, assessment, and court and detention services, the Center's three-story structure holds three circuit courtrooms; hearing rooms for juvenile masters; offices for state's attorneys, public defenders, the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, and Baltimore City Police; a booking facility; and 120 beds for delinquent youth requiring detention. For detained youths, the Center has a full-size gym, and educational and medical services (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-229).

Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, 300 North Gay St., Baltimore, Maryland, June 2007. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

CENTRAL REGION

Included in the Central Region are Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.

EASTERN SHORE REGION

The Eastern Shore Region serves the counties of Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester.

METRO REGION

The Metro Region includes Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

SOUTHERN REGION

The Southern Region encompasses Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties.

WESTERN REGION

1 James Day Drive, Cumberland, MD 21502

The Western Region organized in July 2006 as Western Regional Operations, established as a pilot program in the Department's plan to convert to integrated regional delivery of services. The service area encompassed by the Western Region includes seven counties: Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery, and Washington.

The Western Region oversees the western Maryland Area Offices, which provide community-based services, such as intake probation and aftercare. Western Regional Operations also is responsible for six facilities: Backbone Mountain Youth Center; Victor Cullen Center; Green Ridge Regional Youth Center; Meadow Mountain Youth Center; Savage Mountain Youth Center; and Western Maryland Children's Center.

Victor Cullen Center, Sabillasville, Maryland, July 2007. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

SUPPORT SERVICES

In March 2004, Support Services was created as Administration, and reformed as Support Services in 2008.

Headed by a Deputy Secretary, Support Services is responsible for eight offices: Budget and Finance; Capital Planning; General Services; Human Resources; Information Technology; Professional Training and Education; Research and Evaluation; and Systems Support.

BUDGET & FINANCE

Budget and Finance began as Special Programs and reorganized as Specialized Operations in 1996. Functions of Specialized Operations were assigned to Budget and Finance in January 1997. In 2002, it was renamed Fiscal Planning and Management, and in March 2004, became Budget and Finance.

This office oversees Accounting; Budget; Capital Planning; Grant and Resource Development; Grant Finance; and Youth Assistance.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Information Technology formed as Information Technology and became Information Technology and Telecommunications in 2000. As Information Technology, it was placed under Administration in March 2004, transferred to the Office of Business Services in February 2009, and moved under the Office of Resource Management in January 2010.

The Department's client database (ISYS) is operated and maintained by Information Technology. This office provides technical assistance on all computer-related matters, and supports, procures, and maintains the Department's personal computers and associated applications. For the year 2000, Information Technology set up a statewide computer network to enhance communication capabilities and support a new work flow system.

Information Technology is responsible for three units: Data Processing Functional Analysis; Data Processing Technical Support; and Telecommunications and Security Systems.

OFFICE OF RESEARCH & EVALUATION

In February 2009, the Office of Research and Evaluation originated as the Office of Strategic Analysis. It was renamed in January 2010 as the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Planning, and in May 2011 as the Office of Research and Evaluation.

The Office oversees Program Evaluation; Research; and StateStat.

RESEARCH
In March 2004, the research function from Research and Program Development became Research and Planning under Equal Justice and Policy. In July 2005, Research and Planning moved under Departmental Support, and in June 2007 transferred to Quality Assurance and Accountability. In December 2008, it reformed as Research and Evaluation (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-220). In February 2009, it moved to the Office of Strategic Analysis, which reformed as the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Planning in January 2010. Research and Evaluation as a unit reformed as Research under the Office of Research and Evaluation in May 2011.

Research provides data and research to support Departmental planning, policy, and budgeting. Also, it is responsible for annual statistical reports, quarterly reports on juvenile detention alternative initiatives, and other critical documents.

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