Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton retired from the Ohio Supreme Court 12 years early so she could focus on reforms involving those with mental illness, juveniles included, caught in the criminal justice system.
The Ohio juvenile correctional population has dropped dramatically because of programs promoted by the Ohio Department of Youth Services with local courts.
In fiscal year 1993, the DYS had 2,121 youth incarcerated in the state system.
Around that time, DYS began to work with county juvenile courts, juvenile advocates, the Ohio General Assembly, and others to develop the Reasoned and Equitable Community and Local Alternatives to Incarceration of Minors — RECLAIM — program with the goal of trying to keep as many youths in local programs rather than send them to DYS.
Ohio soon became a leader in implementing evidence-based community alternatives and the DYS population dropped significantly, enabling the state to close eight state juvenile correctional facilities since 1993.
Many of the local programs included in the “Choas in Ohio Youth Lockups” series produced by news journalists from the Columbus Dispatch, the Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal, Canton Repository and other USA TODAY Network Ohio news organizations came of these efforts.
Read the series:Kids Behind Bars: Chaos, violence and neglect plague youth prisons and detention centers
More:RECLAIM keeps juveniles in the community, not locked up
They are funded by the DYS and are a tribute to Ohio’s great success in keeping kids in their communities with services. Ohio was actually a national leader in this change.
Due to the success of these programs, the nearly 500 kids now in DYS facilities are the most serious, hardcore cases.
These are NOT youth you want out on community control or in your neighborhood.
Although the goal is to try to rehabilitate all of them, they are often a very difficult group, many of whom have complex needs and violent histories including gang involvement or access.
DYS is not responsible for all of the problems highlighted.
The Ohio of Department of Youth Services does not control local detention centers.
Ohio has a two-tiered system.
DYS oversees the state detention system, but county judges oversee and control their local detention systems. The editorial produced by editorial boards of the Dispatch, the Enquirer, Beacon Journal, Repository and other USA TODAY Network Ohio news organizations blurs that distinction by citing to links about the court detention programs and showing video that use local incidents.
Letters:Mike DeWine’s youth prison group misses mark, is little comfort families of injured, dead
The editorial and the articles imply that DYS is responsible for much over which they have no control and they do not clarify the distinction for your readers.
DYS has been transparent with advocates
In 2013, I set up quarterly meeting with leading child advocates and DYS, and that has continued for over a decade. DYS has been totally transparent with data, challenges they were facing…everything.
Fortunately, one of those advocates is part of the task force Gov. Mike DeWine announced after USA TODAY Ohio Network’s publication of its eight-month investigation on DYS and locally-controlled youth centers.
Choas in Youth Prisons:DeWine tells youth prison group to ‘think big’ to find solutions after investigation
DYS’ director should not be replaced.
DYS Director Amy Ast has made amazing progress despite overwhelming challenges.
The editorial calls for new leadership at DYS.
However, Ast came in during the pandemic. One of her first challenges was to bring the agency out of COVID posture and return to normal operation.
More:Youth prison guard David Upshaw wanted to make a difference, but attack changed his life
While many of us stayed safe at home, the prison personnel had to go in day after day. Everyone faces workforce challenges, but it is even worse for hiring prison personnel with this difficult population.
When they are attacked “just for fun,” morale plunges and staff quit.
Ast and her staff are working tirelessly on this issue.
I have met monthly with Ast since she started, addressing and trying to rectify these issues and to find solutions.
She is the most dedicated, caring and compassionate public servant I have ever met. She really wants these kids to succeed, but also to protect her staff and keep them safe. It is an exceedingly difficult job.
IMPROVEMENTS MADE AT DYS.
- From January to October 2023, because of changes made by Ast, in consultation with the advocates, assaults on staff have dropped 36% and staff spent 3,500 fewer days off work due to injury when compared to January to October 2022. Assaults on other youth have dropped 18% in that same period.
- She has expanded peer support services and implemented training to address staff burnout and trauma.
- Despite a national shortage of behavioral health providers, DYS has provided 49% more treatment hours to incarcerated youth in 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
- Over 10% of youth on parole whereabouts were unknown (chose to be disengaged from their parole officer). Due to her focused effort on this issue, less than 1% of youth on parole are now whereabouts unknown.
- With DeWine’s support, she gave the RECLAIM program funding pool its first increase in 14 years by allocating an additional $2 million towards community programming and keeping kids out of DYS.
To demand leadership change does not give Ast the time to change the culture, to cultivate safe environments for staff and youth, and do the necessary work with her team to improve outcomes for youth returning to our communities.
A leadership change now would only set back the efforts made.
Indeed, there are many challenges that exist, some inherent in our system, that could use a much broader solution.
What do you think?How to submit a letter to the editor for The Columbus Dispatch
I applaud DeWine for setting up this Juvenile Justice Working Group, and appointing Tom Stickrath, who used to be director at DYS and with whom I have worked with for many years, to look for long-term solutions.
I am grateful that the governor has also appointed Gabriella Celeste of the Schubert Center of Child Studies, one of our youth advocates, to this group as she has been part of the quarterly meetings with DYS and knows the issues intimately.
Let’s let this process work first to see how further change and help can make a difference.
Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton retired from the Ohio Supreme Court 12 years early so she could focus on reforms involving those with mental illness, juveniles included, caught in the criminal justice system. She also consults part time on appeals and does mediations with the Vorys law firm.
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