Westmoreland officials pledge to reopen juvenile detention center

Westmoreland officials on Monday pledged to reopen the county’s juvenile detention center upon the conclusion of state investigations launched this month when two youths were injured at the Hempfield facility.

“As soon as the investigations are done, we hope to be up and running. As soon as we can get it open we would like to,” Common Pleas Judge Michele Bononi said during a regularly scheduled meeting of the county’s juvenile detention center board.

Bononi oversees the juvenile justice programs for the county and reaffirmed the intention to continue operations at one of two government-­owned centers for child criminal defendants in Western Pennsylvania.

County leaders closed the 16-bed facility June 9 amid staffing shortages exacerbated by mandatory inspections started by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Those inspections came after reports of an attempted suicide of one teenager charged as an adult with homicide-related charges and the suspected self-inflicted injuries of another teen this month.

Juvenile detention center director Rich Gordon said there are 15 job vacancies at the center that, when fully staffed, has about 28 employees.

Renamed in 2012 as the Regional Youth Services Center, the facility has a secure detention unit and a separate, less-secure wing to house as many as eight residents in a shelter program for homeless and court-declared dependent children.

The shelter program remains in operation and had seven residents last week.

State officials declined to comment on the investigation.

“The Department of Human Services takes reports and complaints about the safety of children in licensed facilities seriously and works to ensure that potential violations that put them at risk of harm are investigated and handled urgently,” according a statement.

According to state records, the state renewed Westmoreland County’s operating license for the Regional Youth Services Center in November after an inspection that found no deficiencies or regulatory violations.

County officials said they expect the state inspections could be completed by early August.

From March to May, the facility averaged about 80% occupancy and reported 62 incidents among staff and residents, including 13 that involved juveniles charged with adult crimes, Gordon said.

Officials said they will use the closure to upgrade security at the detention center.

The juvenile detention board, which includes county commissioners, recommended approval of a $961,000 contract to upgrade more than three dozen security doors at the center. The project will replace the original cell doors and locking mechanisms installed when it was first built in 1979.

Security doors will also be added to the shelter unit that could enable it to be converted later to secure detention housing.

Meanwhile, the county is also weighing a proposal that could nearly double the size of the center. Gordon said the county is eyeing a potential renovation of space used for recreation into secure additional housing as part of a plan that could cost up to $3 million.

“The county is determined to make things right and offset costs the best we can,” said Controller Jeff Balzer, chairman of the juvenile detention board.