Gongwer News Service
The House Appropriations Human Services Subcommittee continued its conversation about what is needed for improving the juvenile justice system in Michigan during its Tuesday hearing.
Those who testified stressed the importance of getting children the services they need in a timely manner.
Cameron Clark, a family court administrator for Leelanau Family Court, presented
on the county’s role in juvenile justice services and the need for juvenile justice residential facilities in the northern regions of the state
“The system is so broken right now that a kid will stay six to 12 months in a detention facility awaiting a bed for treatment,” Clark said. “There are circumstances around the state in which youth have been in those detention facilities for so long that they’ve actually aged out of the juvenile court system, and now they’re adults.”
That forces a judge to decide whether to place an adult in a juvenile facility when a bed opens or to dismiss the case.
“That’s not a good place to put a judge,” Clark said.
Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen), who chairs the committee, said he recently heard from the Shawono Center in Grayling about a young man who aged out of the system at 18.
“He needed further services and was sent back to mom,” Roth said. “Just heard from them recently, and they’re concerned that this young man’s not going to be OK at home. So. Disappointed that an 18-year-old who should get a couple more years of his services didn’t get it.”
The current system is cumbersome, and there aren’t enough beds, Clark went on to say.
“There’s just so many layers to the state system that it really is dying under its own weight,” Clark said. “There are no beds up north. So, we’re shipping kids all over the place, Missouri, Tennessee, downstate here – which is six, eight, 10 hours away from their homes.”
Finding beds can be more complicated because many facilities with space aren’t taking in kids who have assaulted people.
“We’re not placing the well-behaved children in detention or treatment. We’re only placing those who need the service,” Clark said. “I get two answers: One, ‘Is the child assaultive?’
and of course the answer is typically yes, and the other is ‘I’m sorry, we’re not taking out-of-county youth at this time.’”
Growth Works CEO Nick Griswold, and Spectrum Juvenile Services Executive Director Derrick McCree told the committee about the services their organizations provide in Wayne County.
“I have been doing this a very long time and wholeheartedly believe in the system of juvenile justice and the treatment. We do have some challenges, and the state of Michigan is under current reform for juvenile justice, and there’s a lot of work going on to try to help bring us all together,” McCree said. “In our world, what we do in treatment is that we’re not a detention center. We’re not a jail. We’re not being punitive to kids. We’re looking at kids with opportunities to prevent them from entering the adult system. We’re looking at them with opportunity to come back into society and function and young adults that are responsible.”
Roth thanked everyone who testified, saying the committee was trying to understand the best way to fund juvenile justice services and to address the problems facing the system.
“That gives us more information on the things we’re seeking and all the information we need to make sure that things are funded at the correct levels,” he said.
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