State reduces count of kids in lockups by almost third

Commitments to the Division of Youth Services
Commitments to the Division of Youth Services

The number of children in state lockups has dropped by nearly a third since July 2017, part of a push to overhaul a juvenile justice system that kept some in lockups longer than necessary, a state official said.

At the start of July 2017, the number of youths in the state's five residential treatment facilities was 327. On Thursday, it was down to 235. Six children were in county-run juvenile detention centers, compared with 47 in July 2017, according to state data.

"I feel pretty confident that's probably the lowest number we've had in many years," said Michael Crump, director of the Division of Youth Services, in a legislative committee meeting last week. "... We know it's not ever going to get to zero, but we feel pretty confident that it'll level off."

In 2018, 377 children were committed to state facilities. In 2019, 310 were committed, according to the data.

An unexpectedly low number of children in lockups caused financial losses for Youth Opportunity Investments LLC, the Indiana-based company that runs four of the state's facilities on a contract basis. Because of these losses, the company opted not to renew its contract with the state for another year.

In late 2018, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced a plan to make significant changes to the state's juvenile justice system, such as the closure of two of the facilities, cutting youth incarceration and decreasing the amount of time children spend behind bars.

The state closed facilities in Dermott and Colt last year.

Since the governor's announcement, the Division of Youth Services has implemented "treatment teams" of professionals who track and plan children's treatment; set limits on sentence extensions; and established more standards for assessments of children who enter the system, Crump said.

Youths sentenced after May 1, 2019, get an individualized treatment plan developed by a team consisting of a behavioral health clinician, registered nurse, community specialist, case manager and other professionals, Crump told legislators Wednesday at a joint meeting of the Senate Committee on Children and Youth and the House Committee on Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs.

"This is very encouraging news," said Rep. Charlene Fite, chairwoman of the committee and a Republican from Van Buren.

Previously, kids got "cookie cutter" treatment plans, according to a slideshow presentation Crump made to lawmakers.

Case coordinators with the treatment teams are also having monthly visits with youths in their care. Previously, the requirement was every three months, Crump said in an interview.

"The treatment team has an effect on the back end," said Amy Webb, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Human Services. The Division of Youth Services operates under the department.

Assessments for children also have changed. An examination of the department after Crump took over about a year ago revealed that children were sometimes waiting months in juvenile detention centers for assessments.

The state has all but stopped using the centers. Children instead go straight to the Alexander Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center in Saline County for assessments that generally occur within 20 days.

The detention centers are used infrequently for "timeouts" for youths who act out aggressively and "need a couple of days" to recover. The timeouts are supposed to last for only a couple of days and may interrupt treatment for kids, Crump said in an interview.

The Alexander center has been criticized in past years for having locks outside rooms that need to be opened one by one, thereby posing a fire risk. Crump said replacement of the locks is in the works, although he wasn't sure how much construction was pending.

"With the risk assessments that the courts are using now, we are able to divert some kids to less-restrictive places like group homes," he said.

Act 189, also known as the Restoring Arkansas Families Act, passed during the 2019 legislative session requires that children undergo "validated risk assessment" before sentencing to determine whether they can be safely and effectively treated in the community.

A handful of judges started using an assessment system, known as SAVRY, about two years ago. The system has spread across the state.

"The judges have expressed to us that they've seen real change," Crump said.

When Crump took over, the division identified about 30 children who had been in the system for two years or more after waiting for assessments, bouncing back and forth between centers and having their sentences arbitrarily extended.

"Sometimes kids ... their length of stay would be disrupted or extended because, you know, minor things, maybe stealing a pencil or something. I don't have a specific example," Crump told lawmakers.

Now, discharge dates that are changed have to be approved by the treatment team and Crump has to sign off on the decision.

"I think my concern is before this job was done so well, and those kids were just left for a couple of years," said Rep. Cindy Crawford, a Republican from Fort Smith. "Are you guys following those kids, making sure that their mental health is stable?"

Crump responded that recidivism rates are being tracked. He said in an interview that most of the children who had been in for two years or more had been released.

Webb said in an interview that the next stages of the division's plan will be detailed soon, although she wasn't sure of an exact date.

"Now that we feel like we've sort of gotten our house in order with the kids that are in our custody and detained in a secure setting. We're starting to look at what we can do in the community-based services and diversion side," Crump told lawmakers.

A Section on 02/17/2020

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