Westmoreland juvenile center to require masks

Juveniles held in Westmoreland County’s Regional Youth Services Center will be required to wear masks to deter the spread of the coronavirus.

The facility’s oversight board on Monday said the new requirement is a precaution at the Hempfield facility, which serves as a juvenile detention center and shelter for troubled youth.

No staffer or juvenile at the facility has contracted the virus, officials said.

But the growing number of inmates increased the risk of covid-19, said Nicole Kramer, deputy director of the facility.

“The problem is, we’re getting more and more residents from other counties,” Kramer said.

Westmoreland has contracts with 15 counties in Pennsylvania to house juveniles in both the detention center and the shelter program.

As of Monday, there were 10 children in the detention program and another eight living in the shelter portion of the building. The center can house up to 16 juveniles in detention and eight in the shelter.

Common Pleas Judge Michele Bononi, who oversees the county’s juvenile criminal justice system, said masks can provide an added level of protection even as officials work to limit the number of children placed in custody.

“We’re looking to do everything we can do to not detain these kids,” Bononi said. “Unfortunately, even with doing what we can do, with some juveniles we don’t have a choice.”