Editorial: Is the Regional Youth Services Center ready to open?
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After eight months of closed doors, the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield is reopening.
The Westmoreland County juvenile detention facility was shuttered after a series of troubling state inspections, including one involving a teenager’s attempted suicide. There was a near riot. There were poorly trained employees — in addition to severe staffing shortages.
Since the closing in June, the unsecured shelter facility for at-risk youth that occupied the same building remained functional. In fact, it stepped in to fill the void in some cases.
Two juvenile inmates escaped from the shelter in December, including Braedon M. Dickinson, 16, of Connellsville, one of seven people charged in connection with a New Kensington killing in July. He was housed in the secure side of the facility after being recaptured. In January, Dickinson pleaded guilty to his part in the killing and the assault of a shelter employee two days before his escape, as well as theft, escape and weapons charges.
The reopened detention center will start with just four beds, according to director Rich Gordon. Some of the 10 people hired so far have no experience in corrections and have never worked with “our type of kid,” he said.
“So we’re going to gradually introduce them to it. We’ll gradually build that up,” Gordon said.
The approach makes sense even if an inexperienced staff isn’t exactly reassuring given the center’s previous state inspections — or Gordon’s own experience running the also-shuttered Shuman Center in Allegheny County.
Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michele Bononi is encouraged by the opportunity to bring juvenile offenders back from other facilities.
“I will look to save you money any way I can,” she said during a walk-through Monday.
But the focus on success here has to be on staffing. No matter what else is done, from adding more beds to a planned $961,000 construction project with better security, the staff has to be there, be trained and be supported. Otherwise, nothing else will work.
Two positions remain unfilled. Gordon says he is working to recruit personnel, including backup.
While the reopening is a positive step, the staffing challenges are still a concern.