ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 24, 1996 TAG: 9611250012
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
ROANOKE HAS KNOWN for years that its juvenile jail is severely overcrowded. But plans to expand have gone slowly, and the crisis that some people forecast five years ago is here.
The cells of Roanoke's Juvenile Detention Home, which are about the size of a walk-in closet, are sometimes crammed with three young offenders at a time.
Chips of peeling paint drop to the concrete floors. The walls are scribbled with graffiti. Mildew coats the bathroom ceilings. Dust clogs the ventilation ducts.
When it rains, raw sewage backs up in one of the dormitory wings.
At night, when staff members put mattresses on the floors to accommodate an overflow crowd of underage law-breakers, some juveniles lie down to sleep with their heads inches from a toilet.
That was the scene described by a team of state inspectors that toured the facility in July. They found 33 violations of standards enforced by the state Department of Juvenile Justice.
The state's certification audit - which The Roanoke Times obtained under the Freedom of Information Act last week - comes at the same time as a police investigation into allegations that some staff members assaulted youths and embezzled from the facility. The audit led the Board of Juvenile Justice to place the home on probation earlier this month.
When the board meets next year to review the problems, the home's future and the course of juvenile justice in the Roanoke Valley could be at stake. The board has the power to revoke the home's certification and halt its state funding.
"If they take our certification, it essentially would close us down," said Glenn Radcliffe, who supervises the home as Roanoke's director of human development. Roanoke Valley localities would then be in the difficult position of trying to find space for their juvenile offenders in other localities, which also are dealing with overcrowding.
No detention home has lost its state certification in the history of the Department of Juvenile Justice, according to spokeswoman Cari Brunelle. And while it's not unusual for a home to be put on probation or to have as many as 33 violations, she said, the types of problems found at Roanoke's home are particularly serious.
"Decertification is not a pleasant thing, but this board does not look at it as an impossibility or an improbability," said Marvin Garner, a retired Juvenile Court judge who heads the Board of Juvenile Justice.
"We know they can't cure everything right away," Garner said, noting that many of the problems at Coyner Springs stem from a long-term overcrowding problem. "But we do expect a plan of action to be in place."
The 35-year-old Botetourt County facility, which is also known as the Coyner Springs Detention Home, is owned and operated by Roanoke. It holds juveniles from Roanoke, Salem, Botetourt County, Roanoke County and other surrounding localities.
Designed for 21 juveniles, the home has held as many as 55.
"It's not an ideal situation for the staff or the kids," Radcliffe said. "But we do have a responsibility, no matter how many kids are here, to provide them the best care that we can, no matter what the conditions are."
Radcliffe has been working overtime to correct the problems identified in the certification audit. The state's report includes the following violations:
* Plumbing was not maintained "in good operational condition" and there was not always an adequate supply of hot and cold running water.
* Staff members sometimes used handcuffs and leg shackles on youths without required court orders.
* Required paperwork was often missing. As a result, there was no record that new employees went through an orientation program, that other employees received required annual training, or that juveniles underwent medical screening when they entered the home.
* Fire extinguishers were not inspected, fire drills were not conducted, and there was no documentation that employees had been trained in what to do in the event of a fire.
* The home's sleeping areas were "not conducive to sleep and rest," with double-and triple-bunked cells lacking the required three-foot minimum distance between beds. Some juveniles did not have proper bedding.
* Serious incidents, such as assaults and disturbances, were not reported to the appropriate person within 24 hours.
* Housekeeping practices were described as substandard. "It was apparent to the team that areas are not properly inspected and maintained," the report said.
The home submitted a plan to correct the problems on Sept.6. But according to the report, "an inspection by the regional manager revealed that many of the areas listed as completed in the action plan had not been completed."
The Department of Juvenile Justice has given Coyner Springs until Dec. 1 to submit a new plan of action. The board of directors will receive the plan in January, and is to meet in Roanoke in February to decide on the home's certification.
Another problem identified in the report is that the detention home has not had a permanent superintendent for nearly two years. The acting superintendent, Melvin Morton, resigned recently after admitting making $172 worth of personal telephone calls from the home over the past two years.
The lack of effective supervision has caused morale problems among other staff members, according to the report.
"Interviews revealed that there is a dedicated staff at the facility who have become very frustrated during the past year," the report said. "They felt there was a lack of effective leadership and direction for the program. ... Despite the morale problems, those interviewed seemed dedicated in providing the best environment they could for the detainees."
Nonetheless, the report said, "it was the opinion of the team that there were some serious management issues at the facility which need some resolutions."
As officials at Coyner Springs scramble to correct violations of state standards, police have been investigating allegations of criminal wrongdoing at the home.
Roanoke police are looking into reports from at least four juveniles that 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.
At the same time, a regional task force of investigators from Roanoke, Roanoke County and state police has been looking into reports of missing food and money. Last week, Botetourt County Commonwealth's Attorney Joel Branscom said that while money and property had been stolen from the home, there was not enough evidence to support embezzlement or larceny charges.
Although the criminal investigation was not related to the home being placed on probation, the state board has been informed of the investigation and is monitoring the situation, Brunelle said.
Roanoke City Council has known for some time about the overcrowding problem at Coyner Springs. "I believe we have a year to 18 months to deal with the situation," City Manager Robert Herbert told council.
That was six years ago.
In 1991, when the home was holding a maximum of 28 youths, then-director Mark Johnson warned that the overcrowding problem was quickly approaching a crisis.
Although funding for a $3 million expansion to Coyner Springs was approved by City Council in 1993, a 21-bed addition to the home remains in the planning stages.
The city approved funding for an expansion to the Roanoke City Jail at the same time, and the jail annex was completed in February.
"It does seem like it's somewhat delayed," city Finance Director Jim Grisso said of the juvenile home expansion. "I don't know why the resources and the needs down there have not been a priority item."
One reason for the delay, Radcliffe said, is that the city wanted to investigate treatment programs and other sentencing alternatives before committing to a plan that may quickly become outdated.
Construction of the addition could begin as early as July, and would take about a year to complete.
Roanoke is expecting the state to provide about half of the funding for the project. Radcliffe said he does not expect the home's current woes to put that funding in jeopardy.
In fact, the problems at Coyner Springs might make the state even more likely to provide assistance, according to a former regional manager in the Department of Juvenile Justice who asked not to be identified.
The board is not likely to revoke the home's certification, the official said, because the state would then have to help the Roanoke Valley find other facilities to house the overflow.
"The beds are just not there to house these kids," he said, "so the department really doesn't have an interest in closing the doors."
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