Youth in Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center isolated for too long

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A new report raises concerns about the treatment of young offenders at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center (JDC).

The annual inspection by the Department of Corrections found that children were locked in their rooms and isolated for too long, violating their rights.

The findings come from FOX 9’s extensive reporting on children who are being held illegally at the JDC but have nowhere to go.

Concerns about isolation and remoteness

The state inspection “found concerns about the lack of supervision of residents” and found that residents were locked in their rooms for so long that it violated their rights.

FOX 9 discovered earlier this year that some offenders as young as 12 were also being illegally held in juvenile detention centers for weeks. These children should be transferred to care facilities within 48 hours because they are incapacitated.

“It’s definitely a traumatic environment,” said Tracy Reid, a Hennepin County juvenile public defender who represented several children. “Due to the staff shortage, they face isolation on a daily basis. You will not receive any therapeutic care.

The report found that the facility had experienced significant staffing shortages since last June and therefore resorted to seclusion when it was not warranted.

According to staff reports and review of camera footage, inspectors also found that residents were locked in their rooms even when staff were present.

“There have been several instances of residents being locked in their rooms while multiple employees are sitting in the human resources office,” the audit found.

The DOC gave the county 10 days to develop a plan to ensure residents receive “positive and proactive adult guidance, support and supervision,” including program and recovery time outside of their rooms for “interaction with staff and peers “.

The district responds

The district insists that the corrective measures mentioned in the inspection report are already being taken.

“Our staffing challenges are not dissimilar to those of other correctional and law enforcement agencies, and we have made a concerted effort to address them. We have made good progress in recruiting, onboarding and training staff,” said Mary Ellen Heng, acting director of the Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCCR).

Hennepin County’s juvenile corrections budget calls for up to 76 full-time correctional officers, but only 53 are currently on active duty. They are in the process of filling another 16 positions through new hires or officers returning from vacation.

The county is also spending $22 million to move some children from detention to a treatment setting at a new youth stabilization center scheduled to open early next year.