Baltimore County residents who live near the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School were sold a bill of goods in 2005 by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. Mr. Ehrlich may have sounded convincing when he boasted, "Hickey will be history." But even then, his administration had no idea how or when it would replace the aging facility, and it didn't rule out the possibility that a new detention center would be built right there on the Hickey grounds.
If residents are angry about promises not kept, they should take it out on Mr. Ehrlich and give him a call; he hosts his own radio talk show Saturday mornings.
Residents may feel justified in their anger, but the detention center that Gov. Martin O'Malley wants to build on the 220-acre site would be much smaller than the decrepit, dysfunctional institution that operated there for decades, even in its half-shuttered state. But more important, the proposal for a 48-bed facility would hold only juveniles from the county and surrounding suburbs who have been accused of crimes and were waiting for their day in court. And while Baltimore County has seen some sensational crimes committed by juveniles in recent years, the county's youth crime pales in comparison with that of neighboring Baltimore.
In the past, residents near the Hickey school had reasons to be worried - the school was often overcrowded, the staff overwhelmed and treatment and education programs inadequate. When Mr. Ehrlich surprised state lawmakers and county officials with his announced closing, it was a decision that was overdue but also ill-planned. The state had been under federal scrutiny because of conditions at Hickey, but the Ehrlich administration had no alternative plans for the juveniles in Hickey's 130-bed long-term residential program. The facility's detention center was to remain open until a facility was built to replace it. As of this weekend, about 63 offenders were being held in its detention wing.
The O'Malley proposal corresponds with needed reforms that include smaller regional facilities that detain or treat local offenders. Juvenile offenders from Baltimore would be housed in the city at the juvenile justice center, which is to be expanded. That's the assurance Juvenile Services Secretary Donald W. DeVore gave to Hickey area residents this past weekend - and we expect the administration to deliver on it.