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The directors of Silver Oak Academy, a new privately run facility for juvenile delinquents, gave tours to state officials and neighbors Thursday, pointing out that there is plenty of room to grow on 78 rural acres in Carroll County. Seventeen teenage boys now live there, though the Keymar campus can accommodate 150 or more.
S. James Broman, president of Rite of Passage, the Nevada-based company that owns Silver Oak, said he is pleased Maryland gave his group "an opportunity to prove itself."
Two boys who have been living there since July - both of whom are from Baltimore but had been receiving treatment in other states before Silver Oak opened - spoke at the event. They said they were grateful for the program.
The juveniles there work toward a high school diploma or GED, play sports and do community service in nearby neighborhoods. There are no razor-wire fences or armed guards; staff members and the property's relative seclusion provide the only security. The program doesn't accept the highest-level offenders, such as murderers or rapists.
Silver Oak became a point of contention for state lawmakers and juvenile advocates even before it opened in July.
Some have pushed for a 48-bed cap on its size, to match the capacity of state-run juvenile facilities. The Department of Juvenile Services licensed Silver Oak for 48 youths. The company has vowed to slowly grow to that size, though it has lobbied lawmakers to refrain from placing legal restrictions on its growth.
Contributing to the size debate was a January 2007 death at the facility when it was called Bowling Brook Preparatory School. A 17-year-old Baltimore boy died after being restrained by employees, prompting the state to rescind Bowling Brook's license. At the time, as many as 175 youths lived there, and some former employees said that contributed to staff frustrations and safety lapses.
One lawmaker attended Thursday's open house. Sen. David R. Brinkley, a Republican whose district includes the towns around the facility, said other lawmakers boycotted it because of the capacity controversy.
But Brinkley said he is "totally opposed" to limiting Silver Oak's bed space and said it should be allowed to grow if it proves to be a good program. He said some of the most successful juvenile reform programs are huge, including a 1,000-bed facility outside of Philadelphia.
The campus, which records show Rite of Passage bought this year for $8 million, includes a 20,000-square-foot vocational training center and six dormitories. The company also invested $2 million to assume Bowling Brook's loans and spent at least $250,000 on renovations.
Maryland has long struggled with how best to handle the hundreds of teenagers who are sentenced by juvenile judges each year to reform programs. The state has one 48-bed locked facility, Victor Cullen Center in Frederick County, and has plans to spend $188 million building other 48-bed facilities across the state.
But construction is years away, and more than 200 juvenile offenders are awaiting treatment in lock-ups or have been sent to other states - both of which are both costly and, according to juvenile justice research, ineffective.
Juvenile Services Secretary Donald W. DeVore didn't talk about capacity at the event. He said Rite of Passage is "a good match for Maryland."
"It's the kind of experienced vendor that we need coming into our state," he said.
S. James Broman, president of Rite of Passage, the Nevada-based company that owns Silver Oak, said he is pleased Maryland gave his group "an opportunity to prove itself."
Two boys who have been living there since July - both of whom are from Baltimore but had been receiving treatment in other states before Silver Oak opened - spoke at the event. They said they were grateful for the program.
The juveniles there work toward a high school diploma or GED, play sports and do community service in nearby neighborhoods. There are no razor-wire fences or armed guards; staff members and the property's relative seclusion provide the only security. The program doesn't accept the highest-level offenders, such as murderers or rapists.
Silver Oak became a point of contention for state lawmakers and juvenile advocates even before it opened in July.
Some have pushed for a 48-bed cap on its size, to match the capacity of state-run juvenile facilities. The Department of Juvenile Services licensed Silver Oak for 48 youths. The company has vowed to slowly grow to that size, though it has lobbied lawmakers to refrain from placing legal restrictions on its growth.
Contributing to the size debate was a January 2007 death at the facility when it was called Bowling Brook Preparatory School. A 17-year-old Baltimore boy died after being restrained by employees, prompting the state to rescind Bowling Brook's license. At the time, as many as 175 youths lived there, and some former employees said that contributed to staff frustrations and safety lapses.
One lawmaker attended Thursday's open house. Sen. David R. Brinkley, a Republican whose district includes the towns around the facility, said other lawmakers boycotted it because of the capacity controversy.
But Brinkley said he is "totally opposed" to limiting Silver Oak's bed space and said it should be allowed to grow if it proves to be a good program. He said some of the most successful juvenile reform programs are huge, including a 1,000-bed facility outside of Philadelphia.
The campus, which records show Rite of Passage bought this year for $8 million, includes a 20,000-square-foot vocational training center and six dormitories. The company also invested $2 million to assume Bowling Brook's loans and spent at least $250,000 on renovations.
Maryland has long struggled with how best to handle the hundreds of teenagers who are sentenced by juvenile judges each year to reform programs. The state has one 48-bed locked facility, Victor Cullen Center in Frederick County, and has plans to spend $188 million building other 48-bed facilities across the state.
But construction is years away, and more than 200 juvenile offenders are awaiting treatment in lock-ups or have been sent to other states - both of which are both costly and, according to juvenile justice research, ineffective.
Juvenile Services Secretary Donald W. DeVore didn't talk about capacity at the event. He said Rite of Passage is "a good match for Maryland."
"It's the kind of experienced vendor that we need coming into our state," he said.
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Amen.. I see a consulting job for a "former" DJS Secretary down the road.
So, right check his pass.. You paid him big bucks, he goes... Remember he was a high paid Federal Court Monitor for an agreement between the US Department of Justice and the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services while. Director of Juvenile Services for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Check the record and monies received..
DJSwatcher (10/23/2009, 6:35 PM )