charlesrsamuels.com

I am here today because I am concerned it has become standard practice for this administration to circle the wagons and protect themselves instead of fixing our City’s Problems.

After the warnings of the NAACP, Staff at the Detention Center, and City Council regarding the problems in the City’s Detention Home, Mayor Jones’ Administration released the following statement:

“The City of Richmond’s Juvenile Detention Center has improved upon its measurement against State standards under Mayor Jones’ Administration. Recent Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice audits have all found dramatic improvements in the center's operations over the past 24 months.” Carolyn Graham, 11/1/2011 (http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-employees-say-juvenile-detention-center-is-unsafe-understaffed-20111101,0,156882.story)

Meanwhile, the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice said that the city’s detention home “made gradual progress” in coming back into compliance & out of probation in 2010.

Two weeks after Dr. Graham claimed “dramatic improvements” she said, “The Richmond Juvenile Detention Center is a well managed facility…” 11/14/2011 Memorandum entitled, “Response to NAACP Complaints – Richmond Juvenile Detention Center”.

Then the City Auditor issued a report showing the Dr. Graham’s statements above did not stand up to scrutiny.

After the City Auditor investigated the allegations, Mr. Kehoe, the Director of the Department of Justice Services for the Mayor Jones’ administration stated, “With this writing, we are pleased to report that we have addressed those issues that required corrections…” 12/5/2011 letter to U. Dalal titled “Response to Inspector General Report of November 21, 2011.”

After the allegations of the NAACP proved true through the City Auditor’s investigation, the Commonwealth of Virginia sent inspectors. During the state audit return visits in December (12/9-12/19), the Administration issued an emergency procurement for intercoms & cameras (12/14/2011) despite the fact that these issues had been on-going since last September per the former Superintendent of the detention home (January 9^th Informal Council meeting).

While the prior Superintendent said the intercoms had only been malfunctioning since September 2011, the City’s Corrective Action Plan of December 15, 2010 contradicts her statement as it reports, “The intercom system was still not working.”

Then, on January 10, 2012, the Mayor said that this matter was only brought to his attention “over a month ago.” Press Release dated 01/10/2012.

How is it that Mayor Jones didn’t know about these issues which have been documented in the news via administration press releases for months?

Yesterday I visited the detention home and learned that some of the locks are still broken, a panel still shows a door is unlocked when it is locked, the girls (6-7) still have only two or three hair brushes between them, and the medical service is not acceptable.  I’ve learned that it took 9 months for one child to receive treatment for a fairly significant health issue and that the bed bug situation has been dismissed for months as “acne”.

The issues in the detention home are not new. This is the second time while Mayor Dwight Jones has been in office that the detention home has been put on probation. Instead of addressing the problems head on, Dr. Graham lost months by toeing the Administration line that the issues were being properly managed.

Enough is enough. While the Administration promises they will correct these problems (again), I believe it is time City Council ensures these problems do not happen again.

Within three weeks I will be introducing legislation to create an advisory board who will make regular inspections of the detention home based on the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) recommendations. The Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court already uses aspects of the JDAI system in determining if a child should be detained prior to trial, so this will not be an entirely new system.

Now, I expect push back regarding this, and a difficult path through the legislative process.  I will have to address Juvenile privacy concerns and I would imagine this Administration may oppose any new scrutiny on the Detention Home as evidenced by previous behavior. They send us weekly reports but they are filtered through the City’s whole Juvenile Justice’s chain of command.

Just like with the RMA & Jail Project Mayor Jones and his administration has shown yet again with the detention home they are not willing to comply or even listen to and consider the requests and concerns of the governing body of the City of Richmond. It is time for Richmond’s governing body to step up to the plate and force compliance from the Jones Administration.

If the prevailing standard in the Commonwealth of Virginia is to act in the best interest of the child, Richmond City Council must act to ensure adherence to this standard.

I am here today because I am concerned it has become standard practice for this administration to circle the wagons and protect themselves instead of fixing our City’s Problems.

After the warnings of the NAACP, Staff at the Detention Center, and City Council regarding the problems in the City’s Detention Home, Mayor Jones’ Administration released the following statement:

“The City of Richmond’s Juvenile Detention Center has improved upon its measurement against State standards under Mayor Jones’ Administration. Recent Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice audits have all found dramatic improvements in the center's operations over the past 24 months.” Carolyn Graham, 11/1/2011 (http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-employees-say-juvenile-detention-center-is-unsafe-understaffed-20111101,0,156882.story)

Meanwhile, the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice said that the city’s detention home “made gradual progress” in coming back into compliance & out of probation in 2010.

Two weeks after Dr. Graham claimed “dramatic improvements” she said, “The Richmond Juvenile Detention Center is a well managed facility…” 11/14/2011 Memorandum entitled, “Response to NAACP Complaints – Richmond Juvenile Detention Center”.

Then the City Auditor issued a report showing the Dr. Graham’s statements above did not stand up to scrutiny.

After the City Auditor investigated the allegations, Mr. Kehoe, the Director of the Department of Justice Services for the Mayor Jones’ administration stated, “With this writing, we are pleased to report that we have addressed those issues that required corrections…” 12/5/2011 letter to U. Dalal titled “Response to Inspector General Report of November 21, 2011.”

After the allegations of the NAACP proved true through the City Auditor’s investigation, the Commonwealth of Virginia sent inspectors. During the state audit return visits in December (12/9-12/19), the Administration issued an emergency procurement for intercoms & cameras (12/14/2011) despite the fact that these issues had been on-going since last September per the former Superintendent of the detention home (January 9^th Informal Council meeting).

While the prior Superintendent said the intercoms had only been malfunctioning since September 2011, the City’s Corrective Action Plan of December 15, 2010 contradicts her statement as it reports, “The intercom system was still not working.”

Then, on January 10, 2012, the Mayor said that this matter was only brought to his attention “over a month ago.” Press Release dated 01/10/2012.

How is it that Mayor Jones didn’t know about these issues which have been documented in the news via administration press releases for months?

Yesterday I visited the detention home and learned that some of the locks are still broken, a panel still shows a door is unlocked when it is locked, the girls (6-7) still have only two or three hair brushes between them, and the medical service is not acceptable.  I’ve learned that it took 9 months for one child to receive treatment for a fairly significant health issue and that the bed bug situation has been dismissed for months as “acne”.

The issues in the detention home are not new. This is the second time while Mayor Dwight Jones has been in office that the detention home has been put on probation. Instead of addressing the problems head on, Dr. Graham lost months by toeing the Administration line that the issues were being properly managed.

Enough is enough. While the Administration promises they will correct these problems (again), I believe it is time City Council ensures these problems do not happen again.

Within three weeks I will be introducing legislation to create an advisory board who will make regular inspections of the detention home based on the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) recommendations. The Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court already uses aspects of the JDAI system in determining if a child should be detained prior to trial, so this will not be an entirely new system.

Now, I expect push back regarding this, and a difficult path through the legislative process.  I will have to address Juvenile privacy concerns and I would imagine this Administration may oppose any new scrutiny on the Detention Home as evidenced by previous behavior. They send us weekly reports but they are filtered through the City’s whole Juvenile Justice’s chain of command.

Just like with the RMA & Jail Project Mayor Jones and his administration has shown yet again with the detention home they are not willing to comply or even listen to and consider the requests and concerns of the governing body of the City of Richmond. It is time for Richmond’s governing body to step up to the plate and force compliance from the Jones Administration.

If the prevailing standard in the Commonwealth of Virginia is to act in the best interest of the child, Richmond City Council must act to ensure adherence to this standard.