Daily News | Philadelphia sues state of Pennsylvania over crowded juvenile detention facility
children ages 10 to 17 who are awaiting their cases to be heard.
At the same time, the number of staff at the center has dwindled amid a broader shortage of municipal workers, creating what city officials describe as a dangerous situation. According to the lawsuit, children aren’t able to leave their cells for meals, school, or recreational time. Some children are sleeping on mattresses on the floor in an admissions office.described a rapidly deteriorating situation that culminated on Oct.
Ali Fogarty, a spokesperson for state DHS, said in a statement Thursday that state treatment facilities are at capacity. She said counties are responsible for contracting with private providers “to support their local needs,” and it’s the responsibility of the courts to approve and facilitate transfers.
In the meantime, children are stuck in the center awaiting transfers even after they’ve been sentenced. According to the lawsuit, before 2019, children were typically placed at state facilities within 20 days of sentencing. The average wait is now four to five months, and some have been at the JJSC longer.