Pa. report describes 'gross incompetence' at Shuman Juvenile Detention Center

State officials made the decision to revoke the license of the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center because of violations that constitute “gross incompetence, negligence and misconduct” that were found during inspections between July 24 and Aug. 4, according to a document detailing the violations sent Friday to county officials.

It was posted in a redacted form on the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services website Tuesday.

Inspections and a review of treatment logs found 22 children at Shuman didn’t receive the medications they were prescribed because a nurse wasn’t working this year, the inspection report noted.

“The amount and seriousness of the medication errors constitutes gross incompetence, negligence and misconduct in operating the facility that is likely to constitute an immediate danger to the life or health of the clients,” the report said.

RELATED: Shuman Juvenile Detention Center to close after state revokes license

In his letter to Allegheny County officials about revoking Shuman’s license, Deputy DHS Secretary Jonathan Rubin noted the severity of the violations and that they were repeat violations noted in reports dating back to 2018.

The county could have appealed the decision, but instead announced Monday the center would be closing Sept. 18, which is also the date the DHS ordered all children be removed from Shuman.

The state’s decision to revoke the license for Shuman wasn’t a surprise because of the center’s history of violations, Allegheny County Manager William McKain said Tuesday.

But it was made public before McKain and other top officials had the chance to notify Shuman’s 90 employees, many of whom are represented by Service Employees International Local 668.

“We’ve been in communication with the union and the employees,” McKain said.

The jobs at Shuman will be eliminated, but McKain said the county will comply with the terms of the labor agreements with the employees.

“I’m meeting with human resources and our legal department to make sure I know all of the options that are available,” McKain said.

SEIU leaders asked the county to consider appealing to the DHS to reconsider the revocation of the Shuman license, Al Smith, the union’s business agent, said.

The county has indicated to the union that it will not file an appeal, Smith said.

He lauded the commitment of the Shuman employees, especially during the coronavirus pandemic and pointed out a “Thank you” sign the county put up outside the center to show its appreciation for the workers during covid.

“We were blindsided recently because of the revocation of the license here at Shuman,” Smith said. “We’re here today to try to put out a plea to the county executive … to appeal the decision. The workers here have fought for decades now to try to improve the conditions here at Shuman.

Stanley Drummond, who has worked at Shuman for three decades, said the workers at the center are doing their best in a challenging setting.

“We’re getting a bad (reputation) for some reason, but there’s a lot of good employees here that’s doing the right thing,” Drummond said. “I don’t know where all of this is coming from.”

In a statement, the union said it is exploring all of its legal and contractual options to provide for a “path forward” for Shuman workers.

The center had an annual budget of about $10 million, McKain said, and the county has devoted “significant time and resources” to improving Shuman in recent years.

As of Tuesday, there were 15 juveniles at the center. The average stay is about 12 days. The population changes regularly as youths are ordered and/or released from Shuman by the juvenile court system, McKain said.

The center, located on Highland Drive in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood, opened in 1974 . Its maximum capacity is 120.

On average, about 1,600 youths, including repeat offenders, are admitted yearly, according to the county.

But this number has decreased as the juvenile justice system has changed. A decade ago, youths may have been placed at Shuman for a truancy violation, but that isn’t the case now, McKain said.

Youths who are now sent there are those with the “most significant concerns,” he said.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said in a statement Monday he supported McKain’s decision to close the center.

But the move isn’t supported by Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner.

“Giving up on the Shuman Center and removing residents to facilities likely to be farther from and less accessible to their families and communities is a last resort that the county should be continuing to work to avoid,” Wagner said in a statement issued Monday evening. “I believe the work toward a better and fully compliant facility could and should continue.”

Relocating Shuman’s current and future youths to out-of-county facilities could be “dangerous for many reasons, especially during a pandemic,” Wagner said.

“How negative consequences can be avoided and how this extremely impactful decision was arrived at should have been topics of public discussion and consideration,” she said, noting the decision to close the center was “made through the press before any stakeholders were notified.”

“Removing youth placed in our care from the county is a decision of great consequence that deserved due input and consideration, as is summarily letting go dozens of extremely dedicated workers,” Wagner said. “The county must hear out those concerned by this decision, and at minimum should advocate strongly for the state to operate Shuman or another facility in the county and for Shuman employees to be maintained there.”