SC DJJ Director Resigns Amid Critical Report

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) _ The director of South Carolina’s Department of Juvenile Justice has resigned following a report that criticized her agency as still unprepared to prevent riots.

Gov. Henry McMaster accepted Sylvia Murray’s resignation Friday, effective at day’s end.

Murray says in her letter, provided to The Associated Press, that her decision “did not come easily,” but she’s decided to “pursue other career options.”

State auditors said in a report released Thursday that DJJ remains understaffed; its officers are not properly trained; its security policies are outdated; and its police department is ineffective.

Murray told a House panel she disagreed with the findings.

Legislators were incensed. They have been critical of the agency since a string of gang-related riots in 2015 and 2016 involving fires and property damage.