The responsibility for running Ohio’s youth prisons and local juvenile detention centers rests with elected officials: the governor at the state level and juvenile court judges at the local level.
The governor and the judges, along with the administrators they hire, call the shots on how the centers should be operated; how employees are hired, trained and disciplined; and what strategies should be used to care for, protect and educate hundreds of incarcerated children.
Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Amy Ast as director of the Department of Youth Services in December 2021. Ast, who previously worked at youth services from 1996 to 2017, oversees the three youth prisons and parole system and supports residential treatment and community treatment programs for youth.
The Correctional Institution Inspection Committee, a bipartisan panel of lawmakers, inspects the youth prisons and publishes reports about its findings. But it has no authority over the 33 local juvenile detention centers, which are largely run by county judges and their hired staff.
And because the juvenile system operates under confidentiality laws, it’s exceedingly difficult for the public to see what’s happening behind closed doors.
[ Reporters with USA Today’s network of Ohio newspapers spent eight months investigating the state’s juvenile justice system. Consider supporting their work with a subscription. ]
The USA TODAY Network Ohio sent more than 30 public records requests to agencies across the state, seeking investigative reports, witness statements, personnel files, disciplinary records, surveillance footage and other documents.
Some agencies readily turned over records. Our legal team prompted release of other records. And in some instances, such as investigations into allegations of state employee misconduct, the requests are still pending months later.
During the course of investigating this closed system, the Ohio Department of Youth Services began requiring employees to re-sign a confidentiality agreement, promising not to divulge any information about incarcerated children without authorization. “I understand that failure to comply with the provisions of this notice may subject me to discipline up to and including termination,” the agreement said.
Often, it’s press attention that brings about reforms. Other times, change comes via lawsuits brought by families, nonprofit organizations or the federal government.
Ohio is at risk of getting sued again over conditions again, said Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Kari Bloom, who as a lawyer participated in a landmark 2004 lawsuit. “I think they’re at risk for lawsuits from their kids, from staff,” she said. “I mean, everything that you hear that’s happening, it seems like it could be litigated.”
In 2004, Ohio got sued over youth prison conditions: violence, poor health care, use of force and solitary confinement. The U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees civil rights violations, joined the lawsuit.
The case settled in 2008 and the state agreed to add psychologists and social workers, increase medical care, expand training and reduce the use of solitary confinement. But now experts are concerned that Ohio is backsliding from that progress.
It is unclear how much deeper problems go in the juvenile justice system because public records that could shed light have yet to be provided.
In February 2022, the Gault Center, a national juvenile justice advocacy group, sent a four-page letter to the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division chief, Steven Rosenbaum. The letter detailed persistent problems including inhumane treatment, unsafe conditions, inadequate education and health care and chronic staff shortages. The Gault Center asked the feds to investigate.
But Rosenbaum’s staff didn’t respond until August 2023 − after The Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and Akron Beacon Journal began asking questions.
Some juvenile detention centers opened their doors for journalists, but others, including Franklin County and the multi-county facility in Stark County, declined to let us look behind the scenes. Hamilton County offered a tour but prohibited cameras, recorders, pens, notebooks and interviews. Cuyahoga and Summit counties, as well as a multi-county facility in Lancaster, opened their doors without major restrictions.
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The Ohio Department of Youth Services provided a highly scripted tour of its best-run prison, Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility. Ast attended the tour but was not willing to sit down for an interview. She offered written responses to questions submitted weeks in advance.
Ast’s answers to our questions are edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: Ohio spends more than $200,000 a year per child in prison. Why is it so expensive?
Ast: The state is responsible for education, medical care and other treatment that is aimed at preparing a young person to return to the community. The juvenile system must meet staffing ratios and educational requirements under federal law, which add to the costs.
Q: Within three years of release, 43% of previously incarcerated children return to the juvenile system or go to adult prison. What is being done to lower the recidivism rate?
Ast: At every point, incarcerated juveniles are given services, such as education and job training, designed to increase the likelihood of success once they return to the community. The 43% recidivism rate is lower than it was 10 years ago, but there is still room for improvement.
Q: Given the cost and recidivism rate, is Ohio’s approach to incarcerating juveniles effective?
Ast: Local judges make decisions on what they believe best benefits public safety. When juveniles with felony adjudications are unsuccessful in community-based programs, judges determine the next step, which can include sending them to a youth prison. The juvenile correctional system is an essential part of public safety because it serves high-need children with some of the nation’s best programs for disruptive, aggressive offenders.
Q: Currently, 1 in 5 teacher posts is vacant while almost half of Department of Youth Services teens require specialized education. How is the department meeting the educational needs?
Ast: Teacher shortages are a nationwide challenge. When a child arrives with an individualized education plan, the department follows that document. The state also contracts with licensed intervention specialists to supplement the teaching staff. The department has an approved state curriculum, and all materials meet state standards. Worksheets are based off content teachers use in the classrooms.
Q: Guards, parents and children report that juveniles are held in extended lockdowns due to staff shortages. How and when will this be fixed?
Ast:Policy allows for lockdowns to maintain safety until a minimum number of employees are on shift. The lockdowns don’t impact educational, behavioral health or medical service delivery.
Q: What is your response to guards and incarcerated children who say bathroom breaks sometimes aren’t provided during lockdowns at Indian River youth prison, forcing some to urinate and defecate in their cells?
Ast: There are mechanisms for youth to file complaints. Any such allegation would be investigated and addressed. The well-being and care of youth remains our top priority.
Q: Employees say they are required to work back-to-back shifts, due to staff shortages. What is your plan to fix this?
Ast: Mandatory overtime is required due to vacancies. The agency remains committed to recruiting and retaining quality staff.
Q: The number of children in state youth prisons increased 25.6% between 2020 and 2022, but the number of violent acts at the three youth prisons increased 57.8% during that time. Why?
Ast: During the pandemic, the department kept juveniles in small groups to prevent the virus spread. In the spring of 2022, we dismantled those cohorts to normalize operations, such as going to school and youth activities. We anticipated that more youth moving about the prisons would lead to more altercations. Over the past year, we’ve returned to a back-to basics approach to managing and supervising youths. Also, body cams now in use have increased transparency and helped capture youth behaviors. Likewise, since the introduction of pepper spray, the department has seen a 36% reduction in staff assaults in the first six months of this year, compared with the last six months of 2022.
Q: How does the department work to block contraband, such as drugs and cell phones, from getting into the prisons?
Ast: Employees and incarcerated youths as well as areas are searched on a regular basis. The department works with the Ohio Highway Patrol and Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to bring in drug-sniffing dogs. And 10% of the incarcerated kids are randomly selected for drug testing each month.
Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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