November 6th 2023.
The City of Philadelphia has accused the Juvenile Justice Services Center in Philadelphia of a failure to address long-standing issues at the facility. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the city petitioned a judge to hold the facility in contempt after photos surfaced showing children sleeping in crowded cells on the floor. Furthermore, the city alleges that lights are on 24 hours a day and access to bathrooms and showers is limited.
Philadelphia is blaming the state for a failure to get custody of those individuals who have been sentenced to long-term state placement in a timely fashion. This has caused a backlog, resulting in prolonged time served for juveniles. While the city faces criticism from juvenile advocate groups, claiming that Philadelphia could do more, Marsha Levick, the chief legal officer of the Juvenile Law Center, says that the stalemate between the city and state is indefensible.
Keisha Hudson, chief of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, said, “Our children are very frustrated because the time they are sitting in JJSC, or lying on a mattress on the floor with lights on 24 hours a day, none of that time counts.” Some children have even asked to transfer to the Texas facility to be closer to home.
Kendra Van de Water, the executive director of YEAH Philly, an organization that works with young people in Philadelphia’s criminal justice system, believes that the actual problem lies with judges who fail to exercise their broad powers beneficially. According to Van de Water, “There are so many services that exist that the juvenile courts could be utilizing, and they purposely don’t.”
Marsha Levick also acknowledges the importance of this issue. Levick told the Inquirer, “Those pictures speak a thousand words. We do not take a particularly humane approach to how we deal with children who come into contact with our justice system.” The photos served as a stark reminder of the need to treat all juveniles with respect and dignity.
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