Violations mire Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center, license to operate is in jeopardy
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – An investigation by the state reveals another child was sexually assaulted at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility this year, and staff failed to report immediately.
On top of this, the facility's conditions may force them to shut down.
The state found a series of violations and recommended the facility be placed on a provisional license for six months, the first of three chances. If the concerns aren't addressed, the detention center may lose its license to operate.
It was a sexual assault of a 12-year-old back in March that led Wayne County to declare a state of emergency at the facility to bring in extra help.
But it seems it wasn't enough.
In June, another child was forced to perform oral sex on another child inside the facility.
State records show it happened in a medical room they shouldn't have access to, but there was inadequate supervision.
The staff member responsible for the room's security was suspended, and more concerning–he did not immediately report the allegations to his bosses, considering them a "rumor."
This is among the litany of violations the facility is grappling with.
A licensing consultant for the state looked into several complaints, making some disturbing discoveries.
One pod had feces on its air vents for over three months.
There was a lack of basic needs. Kids staying at the facility told the state there weren't enough clean clothes, bedsheets, and toothpaste.
In some cases, staff allegedly denied meals to the children because of the way they behaved.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services provided this statement to CBS News Detroit:
It is the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' (MDHHS) priority to protect the safety and well-being of all children. MDHHS does not compromise on child safety and will continue to support the safety of youth in detention. MDHHS maintains presence at Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility and will continue to work collaboratively with Wayne County for the good of the youth there.
MDHHS has taken numerous proactive steps to support Wayne County in protecting children, including:
Ongoing work with partners throughout the state to identify safe placements for Wayne County youth.
- Providing grant funding that enabled Spectrum Lincoln Center to expand its capacity to safely house and care for an increased number of youth.
- Receiving assistance from other counties to safely house WCJDF youth.
- Connecting Wayne County with Team Wellness, which established a day-treatment program for eligible youth at Wayne County JDF. Team Wellness Day Treatment Program located at Eastern Market is operational and ongoing. It is currently servicing 20 Wayne County youth. Additionally, as of last week, Team Wellness began in-facility programming to post-adjudicated youth inside Wayne County JDF.
- MDHHS has expanded a contract with Orchards Children's Services to offer wrap-around services to juvenile justice youth in Wayne County JDF and in the community. These additional services will help aid youth and families with their transition to their communities.
- Collaboration with the court and county on the creation of, and changes to, policy regarding how the facility is used from releasing youth on non-violent offenses, priority releases, and more.
Toward the end of the 35-page report, the consultant wrote: "Administrator 1 has not been inserting herself into her role completely, and by her own admission, she has not felt responsible to perform the role or take responsibility for the role."
CBS News Detroit did reach out to Wayne County multiple times throughout Wednesday for comment regarding the state's findings, but we haven't heard back.
