Westmoreland detention center passes state inspections

Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center has been given a clean bill of health by state inspectors.

Inspections conducted this month by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and over the summer by federal auditors found no deficiencies in operations of the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield.

The facility serves as the county’s eight-bed juvenile detention center and an adjoining eight-bed shelter for troubled youth.

State inspectors toured the facility Nov. 5.

No regulatory violations were found and no complaints were lodged by residents or staff, according to the state’s inspection results.

Inspectors who conducted an annual review of policies related to the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act in August also found no deficiencies, according to documents made public Monday.

“This shows we have the right people down there,” said Westmoreland County Controller Jeffrey Balzer, who serves as chairman of the juvenile detention board. “We really needed to see it calmed down, and (director Rich Gordon) seems to handle all the waves that come after all the challenges we’ve had.”

The facility, which opened in 1979, was temporarily shuttered in June 2023 following a series of state inspections that found multiple operational violations. The inspection noted that insufficient staffing levels and training led to incidents in the facility, which led to a near-riot.

As a result, the detention center was closed for nearly six months as county officials sought to increase staffing and training. The detention center, which is licensed by the state to hold up to 16 juveniles, reopened in early 2024 and since then has held no more than eight juveniles.

Gordon said eight juveniles were being held at the center on Monday.

County officials said plans are in place to expand capacity in 2026, following completion of a nearly $1 million project to install new doors and locks in the facility. That project has been ongoing since spring and is still months away from completion, officials said.