Latest news with #DJJ
Axios
12-05-2025
- Axios
Why Virginia's only youth prison is under state investigation
Virginia's only youth prison is once again under investigation. The big picture: Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center, located in Chesterfield, has been the subject of mounting scrutiny among lawmakers, advocates and families over conditions that a former employee has described as "completely inhumane." Incarcerated youth setting fires at the facility has become a persistent problem. Chesterfield Fire & EMS responded to 45 calls at Bon Air between February 2024 and February 2025. In a March letter, the county's fire chief wrote that the pattern reflects "much deeper issues at the facility that must be addressed" by the Department of Juvenile Justice, which operates the center. Later that same month, police charged a former correctional officer with sexually assaulting a teenage girl at Bon Air, WTVR reported. Detectives believe there may be more victims. Driving the news: Last week, Virginia's Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG) announced it's opening an investigation into Bon Air after the Commission on Youth requested one in early April. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the commission voiced concerns at a meeting last month about the allegations of ongoing fires, understaffing and youth being locked in cells for up to two days without showers. What they're saying: In that meeting, DJJ director Amy Floriano acknowledged the critical staffing issues, said the fires were started by only a small number of residents and shared that youth receive "hygiene kits" while in lockdown, per WTVR. DJJ has also said they welcome and support OSIG's review. Zoom in: Staffing shortages, a nationwide issue, were a major concern in a third-party audit last year that the DJJ commissioned, reports VPM. The audit found that, because of limited staffing, Bon Air has "halted or reformatted nearly all of its programming," including education and mental health services. And the loss of programming can lead to "boredom and idleness," per the report, which can lead to an "uptick in violence" and "staff feeling unsafe."
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
My Best Student Murdered Someone
Teaching is hard. I know some people don't believe this. I've dealt with enough combative parents to know teachers are not always viewed positively. I imagine it is partially political propaganda and partially angry kids turned adults with a vendetta against teachers. Either way, it is hard to appreciate the difficulty of teaching without being in the trenches. Caring about the children is crucial to success but is also the job's most draining aspect. I take on so much pain every year in the hopes of helping students grow. However, the most challenging part is watching students who are full of potential throw it away. I started my teaching career at DJJ. I was young and sure I could change the minds and lives of children even within such a deficient system. These students were serving sentences for lesser crimes like fighting in public to more serious crimes like armed robbery and kidnapping. Yet, many of them thrived in the new environment. I was sure they would leave and achieve amazing things. But no, in my one year there I saw many of those students return. The students may do well at DJJ, but how does that help them if they are placed back into their environment? How do they survive? Teaching them Shakespeare isn't going to help them if we put them right back into violent neighborhoods lacking resources. I recall one model student being told he was scheduled to go home. He would purposefully get into fights to get his time extended. On his last day, he was so desperate to stay, he even tried to fight me. He was willing to do anything to avoid going home. There was nothing there for him. He was at DJJ for over three years and never received a visitor. When he was in the system, he was fed, he was relatively safe, and people cared about him. At home, he had none of that. What do you think he did when he got out? He immediately committed a crime and was arrested again. Last year I wrote about a bright student who was at a crossroads. He joined my class after getting out of an alternative school (a school for students who were expelled from traditional public schools). He was motivated to change his life. He stopped smoking and his grades were high, especially while dating his girlfriend. However, the tempting call of old friends lured him back to his old ways. Did he pursue his new life with his girlfriend or did he go back to the familiar? Unfortunately, early this year he and his girlfriend officially broke up. It was an unhealthy relationship for her. She made the right decision. Too much of his identity and mental health were wrapped up in her. However, the day they broke up, he joined in on a violent assault. A group of boys randomly attacked a student in the hallway. Apparently, the victim was the brother of a boy who bumped into someone's sister at a dance without apologizing. This is all it took to spark the brutal beating of someone not even directly involved in the incident. My student was tackled and arrested on the scene. It was another student I poured into but in the end, he broke. The signs were always there though. I knew he was in danger of breaking. This most recent story I never saw coming. Although I hate the modern connotations of the word, my students use 'thug' to describe kids who gangbang or associate with gangs. Most of these 'thugs' are kids with failing grades who spend more time smoking in the bathroom or at home than the actual classroom. Joey (Editors Note: Names have been changed to protect the identities of students.), however, was known as the smart thug. It was a rumor I heard whispered many times throughout the year. Despite my history with surprisingly violent students and manipulative children, I assumed it was a joke. Joey was popular with everyone. Yes, he was tall, dark, and traditionally handsome, but his style would usually draw ridicule from a certain demographic. He wore collared shirts and khakis. When he smiled, his braces took up half of his face. Oh, and his grades and work ethic were fantastic. He has held an 'A' all year in my class. Out of my one hundred students, only about five have accomplished that this year. He is always engaged and outshines his peers. He is respectful, helpful, and kind. Kids who are easy targets for bullying are protected under his wing. He is the type of kid who makes teaching fun. We are able to dig into deep ideas. I could see new ideas connect, and he was able to formulate thoughts into actual sentences. You read the title. You know where this is going. Two days ago, I heard students whispering about a shooting. One of them noticed me listening and said, 'You should hear this, Mr. Ware. It's about your star student.' I was able to put together the story using what I heard from my kids and the news article. Joey, joined by other minors and two adults, shot up an apartment. They were aiming for one of their rivals with no thought for who else they hit. Two parents say they grabbed their daughter and ran upstairs. They say they found a bullet hole near where their daughter was sitting. The police were able to find the SUV at a mall near the apartment complex. Five people were arrested, including my student. They found guns and drugs in the vehicle. Although not in the news report, allegedly a woman was shot that night and my student was likely involved in this too. The day after I learned about the incident, I had to let a girl leave class because she was crying for Joey. Even if his status as a minor helps him avoid the most serious consequences, all of the potential is gone. Honestly, I want to feel for him. He was a bright young man, but it also means to some extent, he fully understood what he was doing. I may never know why Joey chose this life. Was he following in his father's footsteps, a man he admired? Did he view this as a form of survival? I understand how the environment and society shape us. I understand how admired adults can influence otherwise innocent children. But to shoot into someone's home, not knowing what innocent people are inside, is one of the most heinous, heartless things anyone can do. Joey knows how to critically think. He knows other possible victims may catch a stray bullet. In the moment, for whatever reason, he didn't care. Teaching is hard, especially on days like this. Teaching is still important, especially on days like this. Hope is the medicine these kids need. For every story like Joey's, there are other students who climb out of nothing to become successful. I wish Joey the best. He isn't just a 'thug.' He is smart. I hope he learned some important lessons. I'm going to focus on making sure my other students learn those lessons without making the same mistakes. This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of LG Ware's work on Medium.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
GA Department of Juvenile Justice graduates more than 70 cadets
DECATUR, Ga. (WSAV) — The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) held a graduation ceremony for 73 newly trained Juvenile Correctional Officer (JCO) cadets on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, including cadets from Statesboro, Rincon and Pooler, in Forsyth, Georgia. The cadets have joined the ranks of other JCOs at DJJ secure facilities across the state. 'Juvenile Correctional Officers work to ensure a safe and secure environment for rehabilitating and transforming the young lives we serve,' said DJJ Commissioner Shawanda Reynolds-Cobb.' I am so grateful for these officers' commitment to the DJJ mission. I welcome them to our team of juvenile justice professionals.' Basic Juvenile Correctional Officer Training (BJCOT) is a 200-hour comprehensive program that provides basic skills training in security practices and procedures. To complete the program, a cadet must meet established standards on written examinations that evaluate cognitive knowledge and performance-oriented studies. The graduates are assigned to a DJJ detention center or development campus in Baldwin, Bibb, Chatham, Clayton, Cobb, Dalton, DeKalb, Dodge, Evans, Floyd, Fulton, Hall, Laurens, Muscogee, Richmond, Rockdale, Terrell, Thomas, Ware and Wilkes counties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
KY Senate approves mental health center for juveniles in detention, funding uncertain
Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Benton, said a mental health facility for juveniles in detention would be built at Central State Hospital in Louisville under his bill. (LRC Public Information) The Kentucky Senate has unanimously advanced a bill to formalize treatment protocols for youth in the Department of Juvenile Justice system (DJJ) who have 'high acuity' needs — including building a mental health detention center. Senate Bill 111 defines a 'high acuity' youth as 'a child who has been determined by a clinical professional, following a behavioral assessment, to need an environment and specialized treatment capable of addressing manifest aggression, violence toward persons or property destruction.' The mental health facility, which sponsor Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, called the 'key component' of the bill, would be located at Central State Hospital in Louisville. A fiscal note estimates the price of designing it at around $5 million, 'which will ultimately determine the construction costs to complete the facility.' The bill also calls for the construction of two female-only detention facilities, though a floor amendment delays that until a budget session, which the legislature holds in even numbered years. Those facilities would cost about $90 million. Senate Bill 111 passed the Senate Judiciary committee the day before Valentine's Day. Sen. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville, called for a continued look at DJJ and said the overall 'lack of care and consistency and stability' in the department could be contributing to behavioral problems in the centers. Reports of violence in Kentucky's juvenile justice system regularly made headlines in 2023, including a riot in Adair County during which a girl in state custody was allegedly sexually assaulted and an attack on employees at a youth detention center in Warren County. The department has also faced persistent staffing issues and been the subject of considerable legislative attention and has been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. 'The kids are going to respond to the environment in which they're in,' Herron said. 'I think that we have a huge responsibility to continue to analyze, review and look at, from the top to bottom, the needs of our kids who are justice-involved. And it's not just the kids who are in facilities, but it's also the kids who are in communities, the kids when they're coming home to reentry.' Carroll filed this legislation last year, too. He believes part of the reason it was unsuccessful was 'the cost associated with the two female detention centers,' which amounted to about $90 million. A post-committee edit of the bill removes the two centers for females and instead requires DJJ to 'operate a regional model of juvenile detention facilities which shall safely segregate violent offenders … from nonviolent offenders.' On the Senate floor, Carroll said establishing two female detention centers — in Central and Western Kentucky — is still the goal. The floor amendment that he filed, he said, 'does not mean that we are moving away from that plan.' 'It simply means that this is a non budget year, and we will look at avenues to move this provision forward during a budget cycle,' he said. 'Right now (there is) a $90 million price tag on these two facilities, and we will continue to work in that direction. Hopefully we will finalize plans for that in the upcoming session.' Carroll foreshadowed this compromise when the bill was discussed in committee. At that time, he said he would consider compromising on the female detention facilities to make sure the mental health facility made it through the legislature. 'If we are looking at the care of the females, and we are looking at the distance that counties have to travel to house female offenders, the model that we have set forth, I believe, is the correct solution,' he said at that time. 'However, if the cost of that causes this bill to die, I'm willing to remove that provision from the bill to ensure that we get the mental health process in place to address these issues within DJJ.' Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said during the committee discussion that he advised Carroll to keep the fiscal note even though this is not a budget year. 'Whether or not we open up the budget this session becomes a question, but everybody needs to understand: implementation of this bill, which I think everyone knows is probably needed, will come with a price tag, if not this year, it will probably come next year,' Stivers said. 'That portion of construction may need as we go through the process, need to be taken out until we do open up the budget.' SB 111 can now go to the House for review. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Standing on Steel: Trevor Saunders' Nucor Journey
In honor of Black History Month, News 2 is celebrating Lowcountry trailblazers. A Johns Island native rose to the top of the largest steel producer in the United States. Trevor Saunders is now on a mission to help others forge a strong foundation by helping them stand on steel. Johns Island native Trevor Saunders' career path is shaped by steel. 'I've been shaped to have that desire, a part of your purpose and your existence is to give back and to leave an imprint on society,' says Saunders. He is Vice President and General Manager of David J. Joseph, a Nucor company. 'David J. Joseph also known as DJJ is America's largest scrap brokerage and recycling firm. So, Nucor's primary way of making steel is through consumption of recycled steel. DJJ is the arm of the business that procures all of Nucor's raw material in order to produce across the globe, by way making Nucor the largest recycler in North America,' added Saunders. Now at 38, he made history two years ago. 'I am the first African American Vice President and General Manager at David J. Joseph. Never thought that would be the case. We all have the ability to dream, and Nucor is a place where what you do matters.' The St. Johns High School graduate was raised by a single mother. He says, 'I know what the bottom looks like. I know what struggle looks like. I know what poverty looks like. You could say there were challenges, but I had a very strong village with my grandmother, aunts, uncles, coaches – all pitched in to make sure I stayed on right track as much possible.' Saunders received an Electrical Engineering degree from Tuskegee University, but his career at Nucor started before that. 'Originally I started as an intern, graduated as an electrical engineer, started full-time as an electrical engineer in a department called the melt shop. So I was responsible for power distribution to the melt shop, so if you think about lights power needed to melt steel, that was my primary responsibility. I was here in Charleston at Nucor Berkeley for about two to three years. Then I left and went to Nucor Birmingham. I started my journey in leadership at that point and became a shift supervisor at Nucor Birmingham. Then a promotion to department manager in Jackson Mississippi.' Saunders says, 'At the time, I was the first and only African American melt shop manager at the time.' Followed by various leadership roles across multiple Nucor businesses. He says being first in multiple positions is not new to him. 'You don't think about it. My responsibility is to change lives. My responsibility is to help to transform the people we connect with. Nucor has 30,000 people. Men and women who we take a serious focus on how we treat people, how we set people up that's really been the focus.' Now, he's based in Ohio, and in charge of 2500 DJJ employees at ten sites across the country, with one in Singapore. Saunders says, 'I didn't foreshadow that when I was twelve, I would be in charge of 12–13-billion-dollar Fortune 100 company. I didn't really anticipate that. I knew I like leading people, and I wanted to shape lives, and ultra-competitive. I like to win. I've been blessed beyond my wildest dreams to be in the position I am in today. Saunders is dedicated to giving back. 'This opportunity is really my pulpit. There are a lot of people here and around the country just like me that grew up with not much, grew up in a small town, Title-One school district with limited resources, and Nucor has been a transformational opportunity. Every location I've been, I've met people in rural America that grew up with nothing, people from the projects two or three generations down, their kids are doctors and nurses, and it's all because of this opportunity. A lot of these things, I would do for free, I happen to get paid and be a part of a team that's allowed me to do that. So the first really didn't cross my mind much, because I'm committed to the mission. The mission is changing lives.' Jon Witherow is Vice President and General Manager of Nucor Berkeley. He gave Saunders his first job at Nucor back in 2009. 'I had a hand in hiring Trevor. I got to know Trevor and have known him since then over the years, and now get to work with him as a peer. He's a friend and a great teammate. It's been great to see his path through Nucor over the past year. Very proud.' Beyond his professional achievements, Saunders' commitment to his community is also made of steel. A member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He mentors underprivileged students in professional development, financial literacy, and career planning. He also serves on the board of Tuskegee University's business school. Saunders also coaches athletics. His message for young people, dream big. 'I worked on Seabrook Island as a teenager. I would drive through that gate and look at those homes. It allowed me to dream. It allowed me to think that beyond the circumstances of Johns Island, there is opportunity I can have a taste of without sacrificing who I am. My advice to the youth is dream, and whatever you can and desire to accomplish, go get it, and don't settle for nothing else.' Re-enforcing his mission to help others stand on steel. 'One of the electricians who was training me at the time, he asked me – do you know how to make a good sword, and being 19/20 years old, I said no, not really. He said you stick it in the fire and beat the crap out of it, that's how you make a good sword. To anybody listening, that's what your circumstances are doing for you now. It may feel like you're getting beat, battered, bruised, it's a struggle, but the best steel is made through fire. You come out on the other side sharpened ready for war. I would tell anybody, your circumstances are your competitive edge, and you too are standing on steel.' Trevor Saunders and his wife Gea are the proud parents of three children, Gianni, Trevor Jr., and Trenton. His grandfather William 'Bill' Saunders is also a legendary trailblazer and civil rights activist. He owned the only black radio station in the South at the time, WPAL. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
