DOJ Action on Facilities
On May 15, 2024, the DOJ submitted a letter to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to notify the state of the commencement of a DOJ investigation into nine juvenile facilities operated by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The specific issues the DOJ outlined they would investigate include excessive use of chemical force, physical and…
On July 28, 2023, the DOJ filed a Statement of Interest in a pending federal conditions lawsuit on behalf young people confined by the Office of Juvenile Justice at Angola prison in Louisiana. The DOJ highlighted relevant caselaw and research regarding the “serious and lasting harms that youth may experience when subjected to the alleged…
On April 14, 2022, the DOJ filed a complaint against the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice for depriving youth confined in the Broad River Road Complex facility of their constitutional rights. The complaint highlights Fourteenth Amendment violations, namely that the Department of Juvenile Justice “(i) failed to reasonably protect children from youth-on-youth violence; and…
On April 14, 2022, the DOJ released its investigation findings of South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice’s Broad River Road Complex. The investigation finds “, that there is reasonable cause to believe, based on the totality of the conditions, practices, and incidents, that: (1) the conditions at the Broad River Road Complex (BRRC), South Carolina’s…
On April 14, 2022, the DOJ entered into a settlement agreement with the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice to remedy conditions that violated young people’s constitutional rights at the Broad River Road Complex facility. The settlement agreement includes provisions that the Department “shall, at all times, provide youth at BRRC with safe living conditions,”…
On December 21, 2021, the DOJ released its investigation of the Connecticut Manson Youth Institution, finding that the conditions violate young people’s rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In its Investigation, the DOJ stated “specifically, we find that Manson’s isolation practices and inadequate mental health services seriously…
On September 14, 2020, the DOJ filed a statement of interest involving young people between the ages of 11 and 16 subject to “a broad range of unconstitutional conditions, including unsanitary and unsafe conditions, use of excessive force, overcrowding, lack of recreation and programming, inadequate health and mental health care, and inadequate educational services.” The…
[South Carolina] Department of Juvenile Justice’s Broad River Road Complex: Notice and Investigation
On February 5, 2020, the DOJ sent notice to the Governor of South Carolina regarding the alleged conditions they have reasonable cause to believe violate the U.S. Constitution at the Broad River Road Complex juvenile facility. The notice states, in part, “After carefully reviewing the evidence, we conclude that there is reasonable cause to believe…
On October 22, 2019, the DOJ filed a Statement of Interest in a federal conditions lawsuit, filed on behalf of children with disabilities confined at the Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center in Vermont. The DOJ highlighted language included in the federal First Step Act, 18 U.S.C. § 5043(b)(1) reiterating that juvenile isolation principles “explicitly prohibits the…
On June 26, 2019, the DOJ closed its investigation of the Leflore County Juvenile Detention Center. In its closing letter, the DOJ stated “[w]e recognize that the state has made many improvements at the Detention Center School over the course of our involvement. . . . Specifically, the Detention Center School has made strides to…
On November 15, 2018, a joint settlement was reached to address the conditions of confinement in Florida’s Palm Beach County Jail. The settlement agreement outlines comprehensive changes in the facility, including giving young people time and access to appropriate recreational activities outside of their cells during school hours. The settlement also limits the amount of…
On October 1, 2018, the DOJ filed a Statement of Interest in a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of young people confined in Florida’s Palm Beach County Jail. The DOJ highlights the protections afforded to students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the “independent and shared” responsibilities and obligations…
On June 21, 2018, a federal class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of young people confined in the Palm Beach County Jail, alleging violations of their 8th and 14th Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs are youth whose cases have been direct-filed in adult court in Palm Beach County, Florida. The complaint…
On October 17, 2017, the DOJ closed its investigation of the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility, citing improvements made to the facility. The letter states, “Most broadly, the State has made system-wide efforts to minimize incarceration of youth; to move toward a rehabilitative juvenile justice model; to increase youth’s access to community-based alternatives to incarceration; and…
On January 3, 2017, the DOJ filed a Statement of Interest in a case involving the use of solitary confinement for 16 and 17 year olds in the Onondaga County Justice Center in New York. This brief outlines the harms of solitary confinement as applied to young people in light of their brain development and…
On January 12, 2016, the DOJ released its second investigation findings on the Leflore County Juvenile Detention Center in Greenwood, Mississippi. The DOJ found “reasonable cause to believe that the provision of special education and related services at the Detention Center violate the federal rights of children under IDEA.” Specifically, the DOJ stated, “Our investigation…
On December 9, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Eastern Division terminated the consent decree, finding the Ohio Department of Youth Services in substantial compliance with the consent decree. Notable improvements made to the Ohio juvenile facilities include: “meaningful grievance system and easy access to attorneys to address concerns related…
On August 6, 2015, the DOJ released an updated findings letter on several juvenile facilities in Puerto Rico. The DOJ finds that young people confined in juvenile facilities face substantive due process and equal protection violations, in addition to infringements to their federal rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act…
On May 12, 2015, the DOJ filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi against Leflore County, Mississippi for engaging “in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Constitutional and statutory rights of youth at the Detention Center.” The complaint outlines 14th Amendment violations based on Leflore…
On March 20, 2014, the DOJ filed a Statement of Interest in a federal conditions lawsuit on behalf young people under the age of 18 confined in the Michigan Department of Corrections, alleging violations of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). The DOJ emphasizes that “[s]tate correctional facilities. . . are subject to both the…
On February 13, 2014, the DOJ filed a Statement of Interest in a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of young people confined in the Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall, alleging violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The DOJ reiterated that “Defendants (Contra Costa County) are required to provide special education and…
On August 22, 2012, the DOJ released its investigation findings into the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility in Indiana. The investigation finds that “Pendleton exposes incarcerated youth to significant harm in violation of their constitutional and federal statutory rights. Pendleton fails to take reasonable steps to prevent youth from committing suicide, fails to provide reasonably safe…
On March 20, 2012, the DOJ released its investigation findings into the conditions of confinement at the Walnut Grove youth Correctional Facility (WGYCF) in Walnut Grove, Mississippi. The investigation concludes, “the State of Mississippi is deliberately indifferent to the constitutional rights of young men confined at WGYCF. Evidence discovered at WGYCF reveals systematic, egregious, and…
On March 31, 2011, the Department of Justice released the findings of their investigation into the Leflore County Juvenile Detention Center (LCJDC) in Greenwood, Mississippi. The DOJ found that “[o]ur investigation revealed systemic, egregious and dangerous abuses perpetuated by a lack of accountability and controls.” The DOJ investigation uncovered that LCJDC fails to prevent unconstitutional…
