Shane Pryor's escape puts Philadelphia's juvenile justice system under the microscope once again
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Law enforcement brought Shane Pryor, a teenager accused of murder, back into custody on Sunday, ending a more than four-day search.
Pryor escaped juvenile detention custody last Wednesday when "escorting staff" took him to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for a hand injury.
Pryor, the latest inmate to escape, has put Philadelphia's juvenile justice system under the microscope.
Some advocates claim the facility is understaffed and not equipped to hold juveniles for an extended period of time.
CBS News Philadelphia has been reporting on the overcrowded conditions at Philly's juvenile jail for more than a year.
The facility is meant to hold minors who are awaiting court dates or those waiting to be sent to a state facility to serve out their sentences.
Pryor was 14 years old when he was charged with murder. Court records show his attorneys tried time and time again to get his case moved to juvenile court but that process continued to get delayed for three-plus years.
During that time, Pryor has been waiting at the Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center, also known as JJSC.
"The problem is there are too many young people at the JJSC," Bianca Van Heydoorn, the executive director of the Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project, said. "It is overcrowded, understaffed, and it is a dangerous place for young people to be."
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According to the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, the JJSC is meant to hold 184 youth and is currently holding 199 youth, a number that fluctuates. Of those, 51 are being charged as adults in the criminal system.
"They are getting the worst of both worlds. Because their cases are in adult court, adult court moves slower than juvenile court," Van Heydoorn said.
Van Heydoorn said juveniles being tried as adults end up sitting at the JJSC for far too long.
"They could wait years at the JJSC in overcrowded conditions where they're not getting the education that JJSC is supposed to provide because there's not a staff," Van Heydoorn said.
But Pryor's attorney said he was getting education and services.
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"I think they have the right resources there, it's the security that's lacking and it just may be because they don't house a lot of juveniles being charged with murder," Paul DiMaio, Pryor's defense attorney, said.
Some are calling for a complete overhaul of the system. Philly's juvenile jail is licensed by the state.
An email from the Department of Human Services press secretary said in part: "DHS remains committed to working with Philadelphia leadership to address the drivers that are straining the capacity of PJJSC."
In the case of Pryor, his attorney said he's been in jail for more than three years because of the delays caused by the pandemic and a change in attorney five different times. Every new attorney had to start from scratch.
Now that he's been re-captured, Pryor is no longer being held at the JJSC.