A boy playing cards in an open recreation area at Baltimore City’s Juvenile Justice Center was struck from behind by two boys. The boy was kicked and stomped on the head, leaving him with a fractured skull, a broken jaw and several knocked-out teeth. He will need several surgeries in the future.
The circumstances that led to the boy’s assault are “ever-present” at this MD facilities and there is the “potential for serious injury” for assaults regularly occuring in Maryland (MD) state juvenile facilities.
Disturbances in juvenile facilities across Maryland more than doubled during 2007 due to a “sharp spike” at the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, where there were 537 assaults last year, the report states. Full Story.
Ever wonder how much MD’s change in policy that prevents staff from maintaining discipline has cost the state in worker compensation and injury claims?
2007 – assaults doubled
2008 – assaults spiked 20%, injuries spiked 88%
2009 – 1st quarter injuries spiked 270%
Comments from People in Maryland:
Ortho: Playing cards, fractured skull, teeth kicked out, jaw broken. Devore’s term “Baby Bookings” seems inconsistent with a new kinder, gentler Department of Juvenile Services. Circumstances that led to this vicious assault are “ever-present” per the monitoring reports of the DJS watchdogs. And Devore wants to get his panties in an uproar when someone chooses to send a kid home and possibly fire them for it. From the looks of this and other Juvenile Services Monitoring Unit reports, you would send the kid home too. Case managers know what is really happening in DJS facilities. The public only hears, does not see, the tip of the iceberg. Case managers know the size of the violent mass that exists within the underbelly of these juvenile jails. Excuse me, I mean juvenile treatment centers. Give us a break! New DJS Secretary, new DJS spokesperson, same ole rhetoric and same ole responses to same ole problems.
Examiner Reader: …[w]hy did Gov. O’Malley go out of state to pick someone to run the Dept. of Juvenile Services. What there is no one in Maryland able to deal with the issues.
Tags: 358% increase in staff and juvenile injuries in maryland juvenile facilities, juvenile violence, maryland juvenile justice, prone restraint, use of force, worker compensation claims soar in maryland juvenile facilities, workplace violence