DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE SERVICES

FUNCTIONS

Department of Juvenile Services, One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland, March 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Since 1969, through field offices located in each county and Baltimore City, intake officers from the Department of Juvenile Services also receive and process complaints filed against juveniles. Most complaints come from the police after a juvenile has been arrested, but parents, teachers, social workers, or any citizen may file a complaint.

In Fiscal Year 2017, the Department received approximately 21,500 juvenile complaints. These usually are received from the police, citizens, schools, or the courts. From those complaints, 1,196 juveniles were committed to the care of the Department, either in contractual facilities, evening reporting centers, or community detention centers, or through evidence-based services. While awaiting disposition of their cases, 4,805 youths were detained in the Department's seven secure detention facilities.

Upon receipt of a complaint, the intake officer makes a preliminary inquiry as to whether court proceedings are in the child's best interest, and then may resolve the complaint out of court through informal supervision or diversion to community-based services, file a petition for court action, or dismiss the complaint. Many complaints are resolved without court action. When a petition for court action is filed, the intake officer recommends whether detention is necessary prior to adjudication, and a detention hearing is held in juvenile court. Pending adjudication, youths may be placed in community detention - with or without electronic monitoring; day and evening reporting centers; and private alternative programs. Next, an adjudicatory hearing determines whether the child is delinquent or in need of supervision. Then, a disposition hearing decides on adequate treatment for the child, either at home, under community supervision, in an out-of-home residence, or for those categorized as dangerous to themselves and others, through commitment to a secure institution.

The Department is responsible for providing care to youth adjudicated delinquent or children in need of supervision (CINS) and developing programs for the "predelinquent" child, one whose behavior is likely to lead to contact with law enforcement agencies (Chapter 480, Acts of 1971). For children in need of assistance (CINA), local departments of social services are responsible for their care (Chapter 343, Acts of 1991). Youth committed to the care of the Department may be placed in traditional and treatment foster homes; group homes; independent living programs; residential treatment centers; and intermediate care centers for addicted youth, which include the Department's Youth Centers.

Since the 1980s, the State has altered the way it cares for troubled youth. Maryland no longer relies solely on custodial care in institutions to treat juveniles who have violated the law. The reform initiatives of the Department are characterized by the 1988 closing of the Montrose School, the 1991 privatization of the Charles H. Hickey, Jr., School, and expansion of community-based alternatives to institutionalization. Nonetheless, juveniles who pose a risk to public safety still may be confined in detention centers. For juveniles awaiting trial or court disposition, the Department's detention centers also provide short-term residential care.

Since 2007, the Department is required to provide services to the youth in its care on a regional basis, and may only place a child outside of the child's home region if the child requires specialized services not available in the home region. Also, any facility in which the Department detains or commits a child must not have more than forty-eight children committed or detained at the same time. Further, Department services to youth must ensure the safety both of the community and the child served; hold delinquent children accountable to victims and communities; and assist the children in its care to develop skills to become successful members of society (Chapter 498, Acts of 2007; Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-238.1).

Public and private residential programs serving troubled youth are licensed by the Department.

INSTITUTIONS
Alfred D. Noyes Children's Center
Backbone Mountain Youth Center
Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center
Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School
Cheltenham Youth Detention Center
Garrett Children's Center
Green Ridge Youth Center
Lower Eastern Shore Children's Center
Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center
Victor Cullen Center
Western Maryland Children's Center

OFFICE OF SECRETARY

Appointed by the Governor with Senate advice and consent, the Secretary of Juvenile Services heads the Department of Juvenile Services (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-202).

One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland, March 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Under the Secretary, the Department is organized by two main functions: Operations, and Support Services. The Chief of Staff and three offices report directly to the Secretary: Inspector General; Legislation, Policy, and Communications; and Preadjudication Services and Reform. The Office of the Secretary also is assisted by the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services; the Female Population Task Force; the Judges, Masters, and Juvenile Justice Committee; and the State's Attorneys Liaison Committee.

STATE ADVISORY BOARD FOR JUVENILE SERVICES
The State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services formed in 1966 as the State Advisory Board of Juvenile Services (Chapter 126, Acts of 1966). In 1987, it was renamed the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services and, in 1995, as the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Justice (Chapter 290, Acts of 1987; Chapter 8, Acts of 1995). In July 2003, it again became the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services (Chapter 53, Acts of 2003).

The Board recommends to the Secretary of Juvenile Services policies and programs to improve State juvenile services. This includes educational programs and services; diversion of children from the juvenile justice system; and the treatment and programming needs of girls in the system. The Board helps plan development and use of resources and helps inform the public of the work of the Department. Further, the Board examines and reviews deaths of children under the supervision of the Department and deaths caused by such children, in order to advise the Secretary of Juvenile Services on programs and policies to prevent fatalities (Chapter 271, Acts of 2019).

Appointed by the Governor to three-year terms, the Board consists of twenty-one members. The Governor names the chair (Chapter 270, Acts of 2019; Code Human Services Article, secs. 9-211 through 9-215).

JUDGES, MASTERS & JUVENILE JUSTICE COMMITTEE
To fashion a formal means of communication between the Department and the courts, the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the Director of the Juvenile Services Agency formed the Judicial Liaison Committee in 1990. In 1996, it was renamed Judges, Masters and Juvenile Justice Committee.

Members meet to discuss common problems, resource needs, policy decisions, and legislative recommendations.

To the Committe, the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals appoints the judicial representation, and the Secretary of Juvenile Services appoints representatives of the Department. The chair alternates yearly between the Chief Judge and the Secretary, who serve ex officio.

STATE'S ATTORNEYS LIAISON COMMITTEE
The State's Attorneys Liaison Committee was initiated in 1991 by the President of the State's Attorneys Association and the Secretary of Juvenile Services to enhance cooperation between the Department and State's Attorneys. The Committee first met in January 1992.

Originally, members were chosen by the Secretary of Juvenile Services and the Association President. Now, the Committee is self-perpetuating.

CHIEF OF STAFF

OFFICE OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
In 2015, the Office of Family Engagement was created.

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
The Office of Inspector General began in July 2000 as the Office of Professional Responsibility and Accountability. It was created to ensure internal accountability and professionalism throughout the Department and its institutions. In March 2004, the Office moved under the Chief of Staff, and in December 2004, under Administration. The Office reorganized in June 2007 as the Office of Investigations and Audits. In January 2008, its audit function was separated out, and the Office reformed as the Office of Investigations and Advocacy. In July 2008, it reorganized again under its present name, and in July 2011 was placed under the Office of Secretary.

Under the Office are six main units: Child Advocacy; Internal Audit; Investigations; Licensing and Monitoring; Prison Rape Elimination Act; and Quality Assurance.

INTERNAL AUDIT
Internal Audit began as separate units for residential and nonresidential monitoring called Standards and Compliance. They combined in 1993 as Residential and Nonresidential Monitoring. In July 1993, the unit was renamed Program Monitoring and, in 1996, Standards and Compliance. It transferred from Admissions to the Office of Professional Responsibility and Accountability in 2000 as Management Services and Quality Assurance. In July 2002, it reorganized as Audits and Compliance, and in January 2008 as Audit. In February 2009, renamed Internal Audit, it transferred to the Office of Resource Management. In January 2010, it moved to the Office of Quality Assurance and Accountability, and in July 2011 to the Office of Inspector General.

To ensure compliance with contracts and federal and State regulations, Internal Audit oversees those private firms licensed or certified by the Department to provide residential and nonresidential services for troubled youth. For each program, this office develops an annual monitoring plan. Staff then visit each site to check physical plants; conduct investigations; verify any corrective acts taken to comply with State and federal regulations; interview staff and students; and observe programs.

Residential programs are licensed by the Department every two years. On the off-year, this unit audits each program and issues a report for each facility.

PRISON RAPE ELIMINATION ACT


QUALITY ASSURANCE
Quality Assurance originated under the Office of Quality Assurance and Accountability as Program Evaluation. When Program Evaluation transferred to the Office of Inspector General in July 2011, it reformed as Quality Assurance.

For compliance with Departmental standards, Quality Assurance monitors private-provider programs, out-of-state residential programs, and community-based programs where the Department of Juvenile Services places youths for treatment and supervision. For those programs which must be licensed by the Department, Quality Assurance oversees the licensing process.

OFFICE OF PREADJUDICATION SERVICES & REFORM
In January 2018, the Office of Preadjudication Services and Reform organized within the Department of Juvenile Services.

Under the Office are Community Detention and Electronic Monitoring, and the Office of Equity and Reform.

COMMUNITY DETENTION & ELECTRONIC MONITORING
721 Woodburne Ave., Baltimore, MD 21212

For youth awaiting court trial or review, Community Detention and Electronic Monitoring is an alternative to incarceration. Juveniles may remain at home in their community under intensive supervision by daily face-to-face or telephone contact and through surveillance by electronic monitoring. A centralized command center in Baltimore City monitors youth through global positioning systems. Regional staff have contact with monitored youth due to changes in their situation, supervision violations, and equipment malfunction. In January 2018, Community Detention and Electronic Monitoring transferred from the Office of Community Operations to the Office of Preadjudication Services and Reform.

OPERATIONS

In 2000, Operations first organized as Restorative Justice Operations, reformed in January 2002 as Admissions and Community Justice, and reverted to its original name in January 2003. It restructured as Programs in March 2004, as Operations in March 2005, as Regional Operations in December 2008, and again as Operations in February 2009.

Under Operations are five offices: Behavioral Health and Victim Services; Commitment Facilities; Community Operations; Detention Services; and Somatic Health Services. Operations also oversees six regional offices. Each region is responsible for State-operated facilities and the delivery of community services within its geographic boundaries.

One Center Plaza, 120 West Fayette St., Baltimore, Maryland, March 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

OFFICE OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & VICTIM SERVICES

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES
Substance Abuse Services was initiated by 1992 and reorganized as a separate unit under Health Services in March 2004. In December 2004, it was placed under Behavioral Health Services; in December 2008 under Program Support; and in February 2009, returned to Behavioral Health Services, which reformed as the Office of Behavioral Health and Victim Services in July 2011.

All juveniles in a detention or committed facility are screened by Substance Abuse Services. Treatment programs are provided for those youths diagnosed as in need of services. Substance Abuse Services also provides preventative education, and works with the eleven Juvenile Drug Courts that operate under the county circuit courts in Maryland.

OFFICE OF COMMITMENT FACILITIES

The Office oversees programming, safety and security, education, and transportation services for the Department's seven commitment facilities. These facilities include:

Alfred D. Noyes Children's Center, Rockville (Montgomery County)
Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center
Charles H. Hickey, Jr., School, Baltimore
Cheltenham Youth Facility, Cheltenham (Prince George's County)
Lower Eastern Shore Children's Center, Salisbury (Wicomico County)
Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center, Laurel (Prince George's County)
Western Maryland Children's Center, Hagerstown (Washington County)

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY OPERATIONS

INTERSTATE COMPACT ON JUVENILES
This unit administers the Interstate Compact on Juveniles, ratified by Maryland in 1966 (Chapter 520, Acts of 1966). In 2007, a new Interstate Compact for Juveniles was approved by the General Assembly (Chapter 500, Acts of 2007). The Compact was activated when the thirty-fifth state ratified it in August 2008.

Because jurisdiction of juveniles is never transferred, the Compact provides for courtesy supervision when an adjudicated youth moves to a different state to reside with parents or guardians. The unit also is responsible for the safe return of runaways from other states (Code Human Services Article, secs. 9-301 through 9-314).

RESOURCE OFFICE
The Resource Office began as Placement Services under Community Justice Programs, and was transferred to the Office of Professional Services in February 2009 as Placement. It assumed its present name in February 2010, when it transferred to Operations.

For the placement of juveniles in residential and nonresidential programs, the Office establishes policy and standards. At area offices of juvenile justice throughout Maryland, the Office's resource coordinators meet with case managers to assess a child's needs for education, socialization, and health services. They determine which Department program best meets these needs while protecting public safety. The Office monitors the case until the minor is accepted into a program, and placement and other services are funded.

OFFICE OF DETENTION SERVICES

The Department's detention facilities include:

Backbone Mountain Youth Center, Swanton (Garrett County)
Garrett Children's Center, Lonaconing (Allegany County)
Green Ridge Youth Center, Flintstone (Allegany County)
Victor Cullen Center, Sabillasville (Frederick County)

OFFICE OF SOMATIC HEALTH SERVICES

The Office of Somatic Health Services coordinates and oversees somatic health and nutrition for youth admitted to the Department's care and custody. Somatic Health services include an assessment of immediate medical needs by a nurse, a physical examination and health history, immunizations, laboratory tests, dietary services, dental care, sick care, and emergency treatment.

Many youth entering Department facilities have behaved irresponsibly and face complex health problems, such as chronic untreated medical conditions, sexually transmitted diseases, illnesses related to drug or alcohol abuse, tuberculosis, teenage pregnancy, or a poor self-image. Somatic Health Services teaches youth to prevent disease and take responsibility for their health.

Somatic Health Services provides clinical, managerial and administrative guidance to health service personnel in Department facilities and programs. The nurse manager at Somatic Health Services advises nurses at juvenile facilities on treatment. The nurse manager also tracks youth from one juvenile facility to another, monitoring their health care. For physicians who treat youth in the Department's care, and for pharmacy and medical laboratory services provided to these youth, Somatic Health Services writes and manages contracts. It also oversees intergovernmental agreements for health care to youth in Department facilities. In addition, Somatic Health Services monitors expenditures for services and organizes continuing education seminars for clinicians.

SPECIAL REVIEWS
As Best Practices, Special Reviews began. It adopted its present name in February 2010, when it was placed under the Office of Somatic Health Services.

Special Reviews works to implement the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative statewide. Developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Initiative's core strategies seek to: eliminate unnecessary use of secure detention; minimize the rearresting and failure to appear in court of juveniles pending adjudication; improve the conditions where youth are confined; and redirect funding from detention towards sustainable system reform.

Under the Initiative, Special Reviews also works to reduce racial and ethnic disparity in the juvenile justice system in accordance with terms of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002. By that law, each state is required to have a disproportionate minority contact coordinator. To reduce the numbers of ethnic and racial minorities who interact with the juvenile justice system in numbers not proportionate to their numbers in the general population, the coordinator receives federal grants to develop and implement strategies that ensure all children are treated fairly and equitably.

REGIONAL OPERATIONS

BALTIMORE CITY REGION

BALTIMORE CITY JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTER
300 North Gay St., Baltimore, MD 21202

The Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center opened October 30, 2003. Formerly under Residential Services, it transferred to Operations in March 2005.

Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, 300 North Gay St., Baltimore, Maryland, June 2007. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

BALTIMORE CITY JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTER ADVISORY BOARD
The Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center Advisory Board was established by the Secretary of Juvenile Services with consent of the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services. Appointed by the Secretary, Board members advise on matters relating to the effective operation and improvement of the Center (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-230).

CENTRAL REGION

CHARLES H. HICKEY, JR., SCHOOL
2400 Cub Hill Road, Baltimore, MD 21234

The Charles H. Hickey, Jr., School began in 1850 as the House of Refuge on Frederick Avenue in Baltimore City (Chapter 374, Acts of 1849). It was an early effort to separate children from adult criminals in jails. Renamed the Maryland School for Boys, it moved in 1910 to its present site near Loch Raven just north of Baltimore City. In 1918, it became the Maryland Training School for Boys (Chapter 300, Acts of 1918). The School was placed under the Division of Institutions within the Bureau of Child Welfare of the State Department of Public Welfare in 1943 (Chapter 797, Acts of 1943). The State Department of Juvenile Services emerged in 1967 to oversee juvenile institutions, including the Maryland Training School for Boys (Chapter 126, Acts of 1966). The Department, reformed as the Juvenile Services Administration, was made part of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in 1969 (Chapter 77, Acts of 1969). Adopted in 1985, the School's present name honors a former Baltimore County sheriff (Chapter 245, Acts of 1985). Subsequently, the Hickey School continued under the Juvenile Services Agency, an independent agency formed in 1987 (Chapter 290, Acts of 1987). When the Agency reformed as the Department of Juvenile Services in 1989, the School came under the Department's oversight (Chapter 539, Acts of 1989). In 1995, the Department reorganized as the Department of Juvenile Justice (Chapter 8, Acts of 1995), and in 2003 reverted back to its former name, Department of Juvenile Services (Chapter 53, Acts of 2003).

Formerly, the Hickey School served up to 300 delinquent boys and young men, ages 15 to 17, from across Maryland either as a detention center or as a committed facility (Code Human Services Article, secs. 9-226 through 9-246). From September 1991 to April 2004, the School was run by private firms under contract with the Department. In April 2004, the Department resumed operation of the School. In November 2005, the 130-bed committed residential component was closed.

As a regional detention center for up to 72 youth awaiting trial or placement in a treatment program, the Hickey School continues to operate. A private vendor, New Directions, runs a treatment program for sex offenders at the School.

CHARLES H. HICKEY, JR., SCHOOL ADVISORY BOARD
The Charles H. Hickey, Jr., School Advisory Board was established by the Secretary of Juvenile Services with consent of the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services. Board members, appointed by the Secretary, provide guidance on the effective operation and improvement of the School (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-230).

EASTERN SHORE REGION

Department of Juvenile Services, 12155 Elm St., Princess Anne (Somerset County), Maryland, May 2017. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

LOWER EASTERN SHORE CHILDREN'S CENTER
405 Naylor Mill Road, Salisbury, MD 21801

The Lower Eastern Shore Children's Detention Center in Salisbury, Wicomico County, opened in November 2003.

Lower Eastern Shore Children's Center, 405 Naylor Mill Road, Salisbury, Maryland, June 2018. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

LOWER EASTERN SHORE CHILDREN'S CENTER ADVISORY BOARD
The Lower Eastern Shore Children's Center Advisory Board was established by the Secretary of Juvenile Services with consent of the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services. Appointed by the Secretary, Board members advise on the effective operation and improvement of the Center (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-230).

METRO REGION

ALFRED D. NOYES CHILDREN'S CENTER
9925 Blackwell Road, Rockville, MD 20850

The Alfred D. Noyes Children's Center was authorized in 1970 (Chapter 101, Acts of 1970; Chapter 179, Acts of 1972, as modified in the General Construction Loan Act of 1974). It was named for Alfred D. Noyes, the Judge for Juvenile Causes in Montgomery County at the time of the Center's creation. Formerly administered under Western Regional Operations, the Center transferred to Detention and Residential Operations under Residential Services in July 2007. Since February 2009, the Center has been under the Metro Region.

Opened in September 1977, the Center is a secure regional detention facility for youths primarily from Montgomery county, but also from Frederick, Howard and Washington counties. Located in a semi-urban part of Montgomery County, it can serve up to 41 boys and 16 girls (age 12 to age 18) (Code Human Services Article, secs. 9-226 through 9-246).

ALFRED D. NOYES CHILDREN'S CENTER ADVISORY BOARD
The Alfred D. Noyes Children's Center Advisory Board was established by the Secretary of Juvenile Services with consent of the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services. Appointed by the Secretary, Board members provide guidance on the effective operation and improvement of the Center (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-230).

CHELTENHAM YOUTH DETENTION CENTER
P. O. Box 160, 11001 Frank Tippett Road, Cheltenham, MD 20623 - 0160

The Cheltenham Youth Detention Center originated in 1870 as the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children (Chapter 392, Acts of 1870). In 1937, it became the Cheltenham School for Boys (Chapter 70, Acts of 1937). The School was renamed Boys' Village of Maryland in 1949 (Chapter 692, Acts of 1949). In May 1991, a unit for girls was transferred to the facility from the Charles H. Hickey, Jr., School. [That unit moved to the Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center in January 2000.] Boys' Village of Maryland was renamed Cheltenham Youth Facility in 1992 (Chapter 8, Acts of 1992).

In Prince George's County, Cheltenham consisted of several cottages on a 900-acre semi-rural campus. The Facility provided for the care and detention of up to 115 youths (from as young as age 12 to as old as age 18), awaiting trial or court disposition from Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-238.1). Another cottage outside the secure perimeter housed a community residential program known as "Redirect" with space for up to 24 delinquent youth who need supervision but are not deemed dangerous to themselves or others.

In November 2016, the cottages were replaced by the 72-bed Cheltenham Youth Detention Center.

CHELTENHAM YOUTH DETENTION CENTER ADVISORY BOARD
The Cheltenham Youth Detention Center Advisory Board advises on the effective operation and improvement of the Center. With consent of the State Board for Juvenile Services, the Board was established by the Secretary of Juvenile Services, who appoints its members (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-230).

SOUTHERN REGION

THOMAS J. S. WAXTER CHILDREN'S CENTER
[YOUNG WOMEN'S FACILITY OF MARYLAND AT WAXTER]
375 Red Clay Road, SW, Laurel, MD 20724 - 9786

The Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center started in November 1963. At that time, it was called the Southern Maryland Children's Center (Chapter 38, Acts of 1962). The Center was renamed in 1963 to honor Thomas J. S. Waxter, the Director of the State Department of Public Welfare from 1953 until his death in 1962. (Chapter 131, Acts of 1963).

The Center is a facility for juvenile detention. Originally designed for both boys and girls, it became a center only for girls in January 2000, and until November 2011 was Maryland's only secure commitment facility for girls. Alternately known as the Young Women's Facility of Maryland at Waxter, it houses in detention up to fifty females (from as young as age 10 to as old as age 19). Located in a semi-rural part of Anne Arundel County, the Center receives young women from across the whole State (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-238.1).

In November 2011, girls committed by the courts were moved to the J. DeWeese Carter Center for its secure commitment program.

THOMAS J. S. WAXTER CHILDREN'S CENTER ADVISORY BOARD
The Thomas J. S. Waxter Children's Center Advisory Board advises on the effective operation and improvement of the Center. With consent of the State Board for Juvenile Services, the Board was established by the Secretary of Juvenile Services, who appoints its members (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-230).

WESTERN REGION

The Western Region organized in July 2006 as Western Regional Operations, established as a pilot program in the Department's plan to convert to integrated regional delivery of services. The service area encompassed by the Western Region includes seven counties: Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery, and Washington.

The Western Region oversees the western Maryland Area Offices, which provide community-based services, such as intake probation and aftercare. Western Regional Operations also is responsible for six facilities: Backbone Mountain Youth Center; Victor Cullen Center; Garrett Children's Center; Green Ridge Regional Youth Center; and Western Maryland Children's Center.

YOUTH CENTERS ADVISORY BOARD
The Youth Centers Advisory Board was established by the Secretary of Juvenile Services with consent of the State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services. Appointed by the Secretary, Board members advise on matters relating to the effective operation and improvement of the Centers (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-230).

FACILITIES
1 James Day Drive, Cumberland, MD 21502

The Department of Juvenile Services operates the Victor Cullen Center, Western Maryland Children's Center, and four Youth Centers in Western Maryland. Youth Centers serve older boys, ages 36 to 40, committed by various State courts and jurisdictions (Chapter 370, Acts of 1955). To be eligible for a youth center, boys must be at least 14 years of age and in good physical health. At Youth Centers, they live and work outdoors. Group activities are stressed, including group counseling and discussion. Working well in groups is an important goal of treatment.

In 1955, the Youth Centers began as Boys Forestry Camps. They were renamed Youth Centers by the Board of Public Works on September 20, 1977. The Centers are administered in Cumberland (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-238.1).

BACKBONE MOUNTAIN YOUTH CENTER
Route 1, 124 Camp 4 Road, Swanton, MD 21562

The buildings at Backbone Mountain Youth Center were constructed for a labor camp in the 1930s by the federal Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1964, the General Assembly appropriated funds to establish a forestry camp at Backbone Mountain in Garrett County with room for thirty-five boys (Chapter 159, Acts of 1964). The Camp opened in May 1966 and was placed under the State Department of Juvenile Services (Chapter 126, Acts of 1966). The Camp was renamed Backbone Mountain Youth Center in 1977.

The highest mountain in Maryland, Backbone Mountain is a ridge of the Allegheny Mountains in the Central Appalachian Mountain Range. It constitutes the Eastern Continental Divide.

The Center provides rehabilitative and mental health counseling services for youth, and now can accomodate up to 48 boys, ages 14 to 18, from across the State. Initiated in 1996, its Leadership Challenge Program (known as boot camp) ended at Backbone Mountain in December 1999.

In 2013, the State Department of Education was authorized to provide the Center's educational program, and began providing academic and vocational services.

VICTOR CULLEN CENTER
6000 Cullen Drive, Sabillasville, MD 21780

Victor Cullen Center is a secure commitment facility for delinquent boys in northwest Frederick County. The Center was a State facility operated by a private firm under contract with the Department. In April 2002, the Center closed temporarily, remained closed due to budget constraints, but reopened under State administration as a regional committed treatment center in July 2007.

Victor Cullen Center, Sabillasville, Maryland, July 2007. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Formerly, Cullen Center treated up to 184 teenage boys who stayed an average of six months. As a regional center, it has the capacity to care for 48 boys between the ages of 15 and 18. They enroll in a six- to nine-month treatment program for mental health and substance abuse, and also attend school at the Center. The State Department of Education provides a juvenile services education program by which youth can secure their General Educational Development (GED) high school equivalency diploma, or concentrate on advanced studies.

Cullen Center origins date to 1908 when the State Sanatorium for tuberculosis patients was established on the site. Placed under the Department of Health in 1949, the Sanatorium was renamed Victor Cullen State Hospital after Victor F. Cullen, M.D., a former member of the State Board of Health. The Hospital reorganized in 1965 as the Victor Cullen School, a training or reform school for boys under the State Department of Public Welfare (Chapter 818, Acts of 1965). The School transferred in 1967 to the Juvenile Services Administration, and in 1974, as the Victor Cullen Center, to what became the Developmental Disabilities Administration of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The Center closed in 1991, reopened under the Department of Juvenile Services as the Victor Cullen Academy in 1992, continued under the Department of Juvenile Justice from 1995 to 2003, and now falls under the Department of Juvenile Services. In October 2000, the Academy was renamed again the Victor Cullen Center (Chapter 223, Acts of 2000).

GARRETT CHILDREN'S CENTER
164 Freedom Lane, Lonaconing, MD 21539

The success of the first boys' forestry camp at Green Ridge in 1955 prompted the General Assembly to appropriate funds for additional facilities in 1956 (Chapter 98, Acts of 1956). From that appropriation, Lonaconing Forestry Camp for Boys opened in December 1957. Renamed Savage Mountain Youth Center in 1977, the Center closed in December 1999 at the same time that the Center's Leadership Challenge Program ended. In April 2001, however, the Center reopened. In 2018, the Center was refitted, and in July 2020 was renamed Garrett Children's Center.

Located in Allegany County, the Center currently serves youth who are at increased risk of escape, are rated highly aggressive, have intense substance abuse disorders, or display developmental or maturity factors that require a hardware-secure placement. For these boys, ages 14 to 18, who have been ordered by the courts to receive treatment, the Center offers a six- to nine-month treatment program. Counseling, dietary, educational and medical services, as well as recreation are provided for the youth who attend school year round at the Center.

GREEN RIDGE REGIONAL YOUTH CENTER
P. O. Box 51
10700 Fifteen Mile Creek Road, Flintstone, MD 21530 - 0051

Green Ridge Regional Youth Center started in May 1955 as Green Ridge Forestry Camp for Boys in Allegany County. Originally, the Camp was run by the State Department of Public Welfare in cooperation with the State Department of Forests and Parks. In 1966, the Camp was made part of the State Department of Juvenile Services (Chapter 126, Acts of 1969). The Camp was renamed Green Ridge Youth Center in 1977, and Green Ridge Regional Youth Center in July 2006.

Located in the Green Ridge State Forest outside of Flintstone, the Center formerly was a federal Civilian Conservation Corps camp where German prisoners of war were housed during World War II. There, the prisoners were required to cut pulpwood in the forest.

Today, the Green Ridge Regional Youth Center accommodates thirty boys, ages 13 to 18, who have been ordered by the courts to receive treatment, which typically lasts six to nine months. Youth also attend school at the Center. In addition, the Center operates Mountain Quest, a 90-day Wilderness Program with capacity for ten youths.

WESTERN MARYLAND CHILDREN'S CENTER
18420 Roxbury Road, Hagerstown, MD 21740

The Western Maryland Children's Center in Hagerstown opened under the Department of Juvenile Services on September 24, 2003.

Located in Washington County, the Center houses up to twenty-four youth from Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties. Youth detained at the Center are evaluated to determine their educational, medical, mental health, substance abuse and case management needs.

SUPPORT SERVICES

Headed by a Deputy Secretary, Support Services is responsible for seven offices: Budget and Finance; Capital Planning; General Services; Human Resources; Information Technology; Professional Training and Education; and Research and Evaluation.

BUDGET & FINANCE

This office oversees Accounting; Budget; Capital Planning; Grant and Resource Development; Grant Finance; and Youth Assistance.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The Department's client database (ISYS) is operated and maintained by Information Technology. This office provides technical assistance on all computer-related matters, and supports, procures, and maintains the Department's personal computers and associated applications. For the year 2000, Information Technology set up a statewide computer network to enhance communication capabilities and support a new work flow system.

Information Technology is responsible for three units: Data Processing Functional Analysis; Data Processing Technical Support; and Telecommunications and Security Systems.

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING & EDUCATION

RESEARCH & EVALUATION

The Office oversees Program Evaluation; Research; and StateStat.

RESEARCH
In March 2004, the research function from Research and Program Development became Research and Planning under Equal Justice and Policy. In July 2005, Research and Planning moved under Departmental Support, and in June 2007 transferred to Quality Assurance and Accountability. In December 2008, it reformed as Research and Evaluation (Code Human Services Article, sec. 9-220). In February 2009, it moved to the Office of Strategic Analysis, which reformed as the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Planning in January 2010. Research and Evaluation as a unit reformed as Research under the Office of Research and Evaluation in May 2011.

Research provides data and research to support Departmental planning, policy, and budgeting. Also, it is responsible for annual statistical reports, quarterly reports on juvenile detention alternative initiatives, and other critical documents.

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