A 16-year-old, and her mother has been arrested after the juvenile escaped from DJJ on Sunday evening, said DJJ officials.
“It’s a good investment for the state because the more you invest in juvenile justice and in preventative services, the less you have to spend on the long end,” says Hendrick.
A DJJ juvenile correctional officer was arrested for providing contraband to youths at the detention center, said the DJJ.
A former employee of the Department of Juvenile Justice is arrested after the Lee County Sheriff’s Office says she tried to use a drone to smuggle drugs into the correctional facility.
Mack McGhee with the DJJ says a new mentoring program called “Credible Messengers” will allow the young men at their facility to have daily interactions with mentors who have previously been in prison or detained themselves.
SC DJJ Officials: There was a disturbance at the Birchwood School involving a number of youth, who assaulted a staff member at the SC Dept. of Juvenile Justice Broad River Road Complex
DJJ says that there were no fractures or major injuries to the youths involved but that two individuals were taken to the hospital.
The lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday describes violence and neglect across facilities run by the state Department of Juvenile Justice.
Federal investigators say the agency has failed to protect youths from fights and forced them to spend days or weeks in isolation for small offenses. The Justice Department says agency employees have also harmed children by using excessive force such as choking, punching and kicking.
Hendrick served as acting director starting in September 2021, after Freddie Pough resigned.
