The Legal Aid Society is demanding that the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) rectify what the group called a “ violation of fundamental rights” for children in custody at juvenile detention centers in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
The non-profit, which provides free legal services to those who cannot afford attorneys, penned a letter to ACS Commissioner Jess Dannhauser demanding that conditions be improved immediately. According to the group, nearly 100 kids detained at Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brooklyn and Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx are being forced to sleep in hallways and classrooms, sometimes directly on the ground.
“Children in the care and custody of ACS are being deprived of sleep, safety, and dignity,” Dawne Mitchell, chief attorney of the Juvenile Rights Practice at The Legal Aid Society, said on Tuesday. “They are sleeping on floors, surrounded by noise and chaos, without access to basic hygiene or privacy. These are conditions no child should ever endure — especially not while in the custody of a city agency whose mandate is to protect and care for them. What’s happening in these facilities is not just neglectful — it’s a violation of their fundamental rights and a failure of the very systems meant to safeguard New York’s most vulnerable youth.”
In addition to accusations that some youths do not have access to beds, Legal Aid also charged that these facilities have seen an uptick in violence and a lack of educational assets. Some juvenile detainees have even been hospitalized as a result of the brutality, while staff failed to notify parents of the injuries.
Moreover, the attorneys claim that, despite the law, the children are often not brought to class or provided with proper materials.
According to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by amNewYork, in one instance, a young person was left with 70 stitches following an assault, while another two were injured in a fight over a mattress.
Sources within the ACS disputed these claims, stating that no children sleep on the floor and every youth has a bed to sleep in, albeit in shared space. The sources also pushed back, arguing that claims of an increase in youth violence are not accurate, adding that these incidents have decreased.
A spokesperson for ACS said that they will review the Legal Aid Society’s letter, but are already making strides to improve conditions.
“ACS is committed to nurturing a safe environment in our secure detention centers, where young people can learn and develop life skills to successfully navigate their futures. With the help of our hardworking staff, community partners, these young people, and their families, we’ve decreased violence over the last three years and increased graduations from our programs, despite an increased level of youth in our care,” the spokesperson said. “We will review Legal Aid’s recommendations, but to meet these enhanced needs and the increasing number of older youth in detention, we are already building a brand new annex at Horizon Juvenile Center that will add residential and educational space; and are actively exploring plans for additional capacity. We are also actively implementing the Mayor’s Youth Safety and Success Initiative to reach youth in communities to prevent violence and entry into Detention.”
Meanwhile, the attorneys declared ACS has known about these issues for more than two years but has failed to implement any solution. The Legal Aid Society called the issues a “festering wound in New York City’s detention system.”
