State issues violations against closed Westmoreland juvenile detention center

State investigators issued multiple violations against Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center after two teens suffered injuries while incarcerated, officials confirmed Monday.

Controller Jeffrey Balzer, who serves as chairman of the county’s Juvenile Detention Board, said the violations focused on staffing issues at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield.

“It’s related to our being understaffed. We were cited for having a staff member escort (a teen) to the hospital, which left us understaffed,” Balzer said. “I understand you have to have rules and regulations, but there was no thought given that it was a one-time situation.”

According to the findings, made public Monday, four violations were issued in connection with staffing issues while a separate probe resulted in two additional violations related to allegations a juvenile offender had access to a vape pen at the facility.

State investigators found that in May the juvenile center did not have enough staff on duty, resulting in seven youths being locked in their rooms for at least four hours. The facility is required to have at least one staffer on duty to watch over six juveniles. Investigators also found that staff did not adequately check on juveniles at required intervals throughout the day.

Two additional violations were based on allegations that stemmed from a report that a juvenile offender tested positive for marijuana and had access to a vape pen over the previous year. The state investigation said the identity of the employee who provided the vape pen to the juvenile could not be determined, but that one worker admitted to having a smoking device on the property.

“These are serious problems, so we need to address this immediately and head-on,” said Commissioner Ted Kopas.

Kopas, who took office last week after being appointed by the county judges to fill a vacancy on the board of commissioners, was not part of the decision to close the facility in June. Commissioners shuttered the 16-bed detention center amid ongoing staffing shortfalls. The move came on the heels of a state investigation into two incidents that involved teens injured while in custody. One was an apparent suicide attempt and another was an attempted self-harm, officials said.

Commissioners insist the closing is temporary, but there is no target date for reopening. Juveniles who might typically be housed in the facility are being sent to neighboring counties and private facilities in the region.

Kopas said the investigation’s findings should warrant further discussions about the detention center operations.

“This also lends itself to a long overdue conversation among all the stakeholders to determine the future of this facility and determine its best use,” Kopas said.

State investigators said the county pledged not to reopen the detention center until it can be properly staffed.

Shelter still open

An adjoining shelter for troubled youth not charged with crimes remains open at the Regional Youth Services Center. There were seven juveniles housed in the shelter as of Friday.

Staffing levels have been an issue at the facility for more than a year and officials said it was the primary reason why commissioners closed the detention center this spring. In early June, the facility had 14 vacancies among its 28-person staff.

Facility director Rich Gordon said late last week his staff had further eroded and as of Friday just four employees were on the payroll at the detention center.

“For the facility to open, we need a total of 12 people. Even with that, we’d only have one or two people on the floor. That’s part of the challenge. We don’t have enough staff,” Gordon said.

Officials are looking ahead to job fair Aug. 16 at the Westmoreland County Community College, where county department heads are hoping to find candidates to fill more than 250 vacancies throughout the government.

Meanwhile, the effort to improve security at the detention center that was renovated a decade ago is in limbo.

The juvenile detention board, which includes county commissioners, in June recommended approval of a $961,000 contract to upgrade more than three dozen security doors at the center. The proposal calls for replacement of the original cell doors and locking mechanisms installed when the facility was built in 1979.

Commissioners did not vote on the door project in July, and officials suggested the ongoing staffing issues could impact a final decision to move forward with another renovation. It is unclear whether the commissioners will sign off on the door project at their next meeting on Aug. 17.

“It certainly makes it a tougher decision to do another investment when there are no kids,” Gordon said.

Balzer said despite the challenges, he expects the detention center to reopen eventually.

“We need to get this going. Everything is like pulling teeth right now,” he said.