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Ten teenage boys barricaded themselves for eight hours overnight Tuesday at the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, first in an office and then in a residential area, where they destroyed furniture.
The youths, angry about not being able to use the telephone, refused to comply with directions until about 5:30 a.m. yesterday, state Department of Juvenile Justice officials said.
Department officials said two of the boys - the suspected ringleaders - have been removed from the facility and might face criminal charges. No one was injured, officials said. The barricade ended when Secretary Donald W. DeVore, who had arrived on the scene that morning, and other staff members persuaded the boys to cooperate, said Tammy Brown, a department spokeswoman.
Troubled and often overcrowded since it opened its doors in 2003, the 144-bed center has had a tough fall.
The facility's new superintendent, Johnitha McNair, was assaulted Sept. 25 by a youth who threw milk on her and then took her and another staff member to the ground in a struggle. Defense attorney Linda Koban said one of her juvenile clients went to court Tuesday with a black eye, telling the juvenile master that he had been beat up by youths who wanted his food.
Drug use in the locked facility has also been a problem. During the past month, five detainees have been taken to emergency rooms with moods ranging from depressed to euphoric to psychotic, said Deputy Secretary John Dixon.
Sweeps last week turned up three cell phones, a handful of cigarettes and enough marijuana to roll about five to eight joints, Dixon said. He said the tobacco may have been dipped in something - a potential cause for the symptoms - and Maryland State Police are testing it, he said.
This is the second time this year that the facility has seen a spate of violence. In April, a residential adviser trainee was knocked out when six youths hurled chairs at him; he needed a neck BRACe and nine stitches in the back of his head. About the same time, teachers complained of being assaulted and harassed by out-of-control youths.
Secretary DeVore has called the center the state's "most perplexing and challenging" juvenile facility because of its unwieldy layout - there aren't clear sightlines - and austere atmosphere, with not enough outdoor and classroom space. The secretary added programming, such as drumming and chess, to help keep the youths occupied and out of trouble.
Earlier this year, the facility was at or above capacity many days, but the department changed the way it assesses whether a juvenile should be detained. For the past few months, the population has been lower, averaging 114 last month. Yesterday, 112 juveniles were there, 90 awaiting trial in juvenile court (upstairs in the same building) and another 22 who had been judged "delinquent" and were awaiting placement in a long-term facility.
The youths, angry about not being able to use the telephone, refused to comply with directions until about 5:30 a.m. yesterday, state Department of Juvenile Justice officials said.
Department officials said two of the boys - the suspected ringleaders - have been removed from the facility and might face criminal charges. No one was injured, officials said. The barricade ended when Secretary Donald W. DeVore, who had arrived on the scene that morning, and other staff members persuaded the boys to cooperate, said Tammy Brown, a department spokeswoman.
Troubled and often overcrowded since it opened its doors in 2003, the 144-bed center has had a tough fall.
The facility's new superintendent, Johnitha McNair, was assaulted Sept. 25 by a youth who threw milk on her and then took her and another staff member to the ground in a struggle. Defense attorney Linda Koban said one of her juvenile clients went to court Tuesday with a black eye, telling the juvenile master that he had been beat up by youths who wanted his food.
Drug use in the locked facility has also been a problem. During the past month, five detainees have been taken to emergency rooms with moods ranging from depressed to euphoric to psychotic, said Deputy Secretary John Dixon.
Sweeps last week turned up three cell phones, a handful of cigarettes and enough marijuana to roll about five to eight joints, Dixon said. He said the tobacco may have been dipped in something - a potential cause for the symptoms - and Maryland State Police are testing it, he said.
This is the second time this year that the facility has seen a spate of violence. In April, a residential adviser trainee was knocked out when six youths hurled chairs at him; he needed a neck BRACe and nine stitches in the back of his head. About the same time, teachers complained of being assaulted and harassed by out-of-control youths.
Secretary DeVore has called the center the state's "most perplexing and challenging" juvenile facility because of its unwieldy layout - there aren't clear sightlines - and austere atmosphere, with not enough outdoor and classroom space. The secretary added programming, such as drumming and chess, to help keep the youths occupied and out of trouble.
Earlier this year, the facility was at or above capacity many days, but the department changed the way it assesses whether a juvenile should be detained. For the past few months, the population has been lower, averaging 114 last month. Yesterday, 112 juveniles were there, 90 awaiting trial in juvenile court (upstairs in the same building) and another 22 who had been judged "delinquent" and were awaiting placement in a long-term facility.
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