Friday, May 25, 2012
COLUMBUS (AP) — A court-appointed monitor says an Ohio juvenile detention center has emerged from crisis conditions and is now a safe and well-managed facility.
The monitor also notes that Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility is operating well below capacity and cautions the state should be careful about filling it up again too quickly.
The report released this week says adding more inmates without extra staff and money could jeopardize positive changes, including fewer inmates on living units, low staff-to-youth ratios and lots of activities.
The report says Circleville was plagued with gangs and violence and had significant problems with safety, staffing and holding juveniles in seclusion a year ago.
The report is one of a series of reviews of state juvenile facilities stemming from a 2004 lawsuit alleging widespread problems across the system.