Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 21, 1993 TAG: 9309210150
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Del. Thomas Jackson, D-Hillsville, said conditions in juvenile-detention facilities are sometimes worse than those in overcrowded jails.
"Imagine two youngsters living in a 6-by-8-feet space with no windows for 16 hours a day," he said. "We don't treat our adult prisoners like that."
Jackson appealed to the Appropriations Committee of the House of Delegates for help in easing the overcrowding in juvenile facilities.
Jackson, chairman of a General Assembly subcommittee studying the issue, said the state must reduce the overcrowding or the courts will likely order it to do so.
The overcrowding has reached crisis proportions and affects the entire state, said Nancy Ross, executive director of the Virginia Commission on Youth.
There are 17 juvenile-detention facilities in the state, with 532 beds. The average daily population in the institutions in the past year was 636.
Authorities in some localities often have to transport youngsters long distances to find beds for them, Ross said.
"Overcrowding is not just a Northern Virginia problem. It's happening all across the state," she said.
The overcrowding has become worse as juvenile crime has increased rapidly, Ross said.
Two detained juveniles committed suicide in the past year, and the number of assaults has increased in detention homes with the worst overcrowding, she said.
The Appropriations Committee, which came to Western Virginia for a two-day meeting, toured Roanoke's Juvenile Detention Home at Coyner Springs on Monday.
Roanoke plans a $3 million expansion of its facility to relieve overcrowding. City Council will issue bonds to pay its $1.5 million share and expects to receive $1.5 million in state money to pay the rest.
The city's home has beds for 21 juveniles, but it has housed up to 34 at times. The city plans to double its capacity to 42 beds.
Del. Robert Ball, D-Richmond, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, said a subcommittee is studying the overcrowding problem.
Constructing more detention facilities might not be the answer, Ross told the committee. The state needs to redefine the function and role of such facilities, she said.
"You can't build yourself out of the problem," Ross said. "We need to rethink the purpose of incarceration."
Nearly one-third of the juveniles in detention are being held for parole violations or other nonviolent offenses.
"We use the facilities for more than those charged with crimes," Ross said.
Jackson said the state needs to develop alternatives for juveniles who commit nonviolent and minor offenses. Some juveniles are placed in detention facilities because they won't go to school.
The state needs to develop incentives for localities to use less restrictive alternatives such as electronic monitoring, Ross said.
Glenn Radcliffe, director of human development, said more state money and personnel are needed to prevent at-risk youngsters from becoming delinquents.
Radcliffe said the state and localities need to have patience to see if the new comprehensive services act will help keep youngsters from getting into trouble.
If more youngsters are helped with counseling, jobs and other services, he said, it might help with the juvenile-detention problem.
by CNB