ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 20, 1996 TAG: 9611200064
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
REPORTS OF ABUSE at Roanoke's youth detention facility have sparked an investigation, and the state has put the facility on probation until it's over.
The state Department of Juvenile Justice has placed Roanoke's Juvenile Detention Home on probation as police investigate allegations that some staff members assaulted youths and stole money and property from the facility.
After learning of the investigation last week, the department's Board of Directors voted to put the home on probation until January, when it will meet in Roanoke to hear the results of the investigation.
"Obviously, the board takes these allegations seriously," said Cari Brunelle, a spokeswoman for the Department of Juvenile Justice in Richmond.
The state agency, previously known as the Department of Youth and Family Services, is responsible for operating juvenile correctional centers and overseeing 17 local juvenile detention centers, including Roanoke's facility in the Coyner Springs area of Botetourt County.
Although the Coyner Springs home is owned and operated by Roanoke, it must be certified by the Department of Juvenile Justice to receive state funding. The department certifies local detention homes every three years and checks them twice a year for compliance, Brunelle said.
If the home were to lose its state certification, authorities in the Roanoke Valley might be forced to find other detention centers to incarcerate juvenile offenders, court officials said. The Coyner Springs facility houses juveniles from Roanoke as well as surrounding localities, which pay the city for each inmate held.
Even if the investigation produces no criminal charges - and some law enforcement authorities speculate privately that will be the case - the home could still be found in violation of state standards for juvenile detention homes.
A Department of Juvenile Justice regional manager who normally would check the facility for certification is monitoring the ongoing investigations to see if there is any evidence of policy violations, Brunelle said.
The board also plans to tour the facility during its visit to Roanoke, Brunelle said.
Last week, Roanoke authorities confirmed that the Coyner Springs home is the subject of two investigations.
* City police are looking into complaints from at least four juveniles who say they were assaulted by staff members. Among the allegations: A 14-year-old boy said two counselors deliberately broke his elbow after a disturbance in his cell, and a 17-year-old boy claimed he was beaten by staff members after he tried to hang himself.
A judge recently transferred one juvenile to another detention home after his attorney raised the allegations of abuse during a hearing in Roanoke Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
* A regional task force of investigators from Roanoke, Roanoke County and state police has been looking into reports of missing food and money. The investigation began after large amounts of food were taken in bulk from the home's cafeteria. Since then, there also have been complaints that cash confiscated from juveniles when they are admitted to the home has been reported missing.
Authorities said there may be a decision on whether to file charges from one of the investigations as early as this week.
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