PRINTER'S NO. 1014
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
80
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY KAZEEM, DELLOSO, BOROWSKI, CURRY, MADDEN, WAXMAN,
FLEMING, PARKER, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, TAKAC, HILL-EVANS, FIEDLER,
SANCHEZ, GUENST, HANBIDGE, KHAN, SHUSTERMAN, N. NELSON,
HOWARD, CIRESI, D. WILLIAMS AND FREEMAN, APRIL 24, 2023
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, APRIL 24, 2023
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a
study and issue a report on the best practices and
recommendations for the operation of juvenile detention
centers within this Commonwealth.
WHEREAS, A grand jury investigated abuse allegations at the
now closed Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center (DCJDC) and
found that the DCJDC "existed like a prison intent on
punishment, not reform, and allowed a dangerous, unprofessional
culture to pervade"; and
WHEREAS, The grand jury found that an extreme lack of
available activities led to residents spending "most of their
time in their rooms doing nothing"; and
WHEREAS, The grand jury found, based on witness testimony,
that although education should have been provided, "staff would
not always bring the juveniles to the classroom as required" and
"the school work was...frequently below the juveniles' actual
grade level"; and
WHEREAS, The grand jury found that the facility frequently
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cursed at and bullied residents; and
WHEREAS, The grand jury found that the facility failed to
intervene in fights between residents and to deescalate episodes
effectively; and
WHEREAS, The grand jury heard testimony of sexually
inappropriate conduct by male detention staff, including making
sexually inappropriate comments to female residents and making
sexually inappropriate advances toward female staff members; and
WHEREAS, The grand jury found that "there has been no
comprehensive examination of best practices for operating secure
juvenile detention facilities," but "so long as there is a need
for such facilities to operate, there is a need to establish
standards for how they should operate consistently with the goal
of rehabilitation"; and
WHEREAS, The grand jury recommended that the General Assembly
make use of the Joint State Government Commission's research
ability to develop policies and practices; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
State Government Commission to conduct a study and issue a
report on the best practices and recommendations for the
operation of juvenile detention centers within this
Commonwealth, including:
(1) The implementation of total video surveillance of
the facility, excluding bedrooms and bathrooms, by a video
surveillance system with the capacity to store footage for a
minimum of 90 days and a requirement that a supervisor review
and preserve video footage whenever a physical restraint is
used by staff on a juvenile.
(2) Expanding the list of required training categories
beyond the requirements of the 3800-series regulations,
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including training on deescalation techniques, handling
children with trauma and mental health issues and respecting
the specific rights of children in detention as specified in
the 3800-series regulations.
(3) Requiring that such training be conducted in person
and allow detention staff to practice techniques prior to
supervising children.
(4) Creating additional minimum qualifications for
management and staff, which may include raising the minimum
age of detention staffers.
(5) Restricting the use of overtime, including limiting
the number of hours a detention officer or supervisor can
work either consecutively or in a 24-hour to 48-hour period.
(6) Reviewing any options that may be available to
ensure a living wage that can attract and retain qualified
candidates.
(7) Adding programming requirements for juveniles,
including standards on how juveniles should be educated in
ways that support age-appropriate educational activities.
(8) Adopting policies to ensure the rights of juveniles
and staff to file incident reports and grievances without
retaliation, including a policy to internally track ChildLine
reports, facility-specific incident reports and grievances
filed against employees, whether by juveniles or other
employees.
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