3-9-11: Justice for Juveniles?

On any given day, almost half the young people in Maryland’s youth detention centers … already have been through court, and are waiting for a treatment slot.  A recent report by the state’s Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit says the situation wastes taxpayer’s money.

The report also identifies what it calls “gross disparities” in service for girls in the juvenile justice system.  All this comes as the part of state government responsible, the Department of Juvenile Services, has a new leader – Secretary Sam Abed arrived last month, after heading Virginia’s Juvenile Justice Agency.  He’s not doing interviews for a few months; we’ll talk to him when he is.

Meanwhile, we’re pleased to have with us the new acting head of the Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit, part of the attorney general’s office,  Nick Moroney.