This week, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released the agency’s business plan for 2018-2019. While we are pleased with several elements of the plan including working to improve maternal-child health and implement a system of care, Voices for Children is gravely concerned about the ongoing disregard for evidence-based strategies to address youth and community safety at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center (YRTC) at Kearney.
The single goal for improvements at the YRTC-Kearney is to build a fence around the facility. This would represent a substantial step backward for a facility that has seen improvements in recent years. A fence might keep in the 21 youth who attempted to abscond in the previous fiscal year, but would simultaneously make this “treatment center” more prison-like for all the youth committed there, and is contrary to recognized best practice around the country and steps that have been taken to ensure that our juvenile justice system is truly rehabilitative. Increased staff, reduced youth population, and improved mental health and individualized treatment programming would have a more meaningful effect for more youth at a substantially lower cost. Other states are closing similar facilities entirely.
During the 2017 legislative session, the Department of Health and Human Services testified in opposition to a bill that would limit the use of solitary confinement of youth in juvenile facilities, including the YRTCs. The agency submitted a fiscal note claiming that bill would cost approximately $4 million because the elimination of solitary confinement would require building a fence around each facility. It is unclear from the business plan where this amount of money would be found within the existing agency budget, and there is no evidence that the expenditure would result in better outcomes for the youth or communities. All of our communities are ultimately safer if we are able to effectively rehabilitate youth who come into contact with our justice system and a fence does not contribute to that goal.
“Every stage of our juvenile justice system should operate in a way that is developmentally responsive and aimed at rehabilitation. Putting up a million dollar fence around an outdated youth prison facility is a poor investment in the future of our youth and the communities they will return to,” said Juliet Summers, Policy Coordinator for Voices for Children.
Comments(2)-
-
yolanda martinez says
May 18, 2019 at 9:16 pmI so agree!
Katie says
October 21, 2019 at 3:13 pmI am a homeless pregnant mom and I have two children and I’m trying to relocate I also had been in a intimate partner violence relationship for the last 12 years who now has custody of my son somehow I am four and I have never been able to afford a lawyer I also begged health and human services for the right kind of help and they chose not to listen to me and forced me on my home to go live with my grandma who I just dyed my arms so now I’m even more homeless they did not help at all they completely traumatized me my 14 year old daughter is suicidal and on pills and I’m surrounded by chaos and toxic people and I have no help I cannot believe that because I didn’t have me outside bruises this time everybody turn their heads I am never going to be the same I have been to jail for charges I don’t understand I have been completely undermined and wiped out as a mom and as long as I keep my mouth shut or be good then I can see my son that I have to go through my abuser… I really just do not understand especially since they’re doing the research on intimate partner violence and coercion