Illinois youth centers are in such decrepit condition that some public officials are suggesting that they may be responsible for recent suicide attempts among incarcerated youth. Unhealthy conditions at Illinois juvenile detention facilities, including filth, crumbling walls and abusive staff, are believed to have contributed to a September suicide at the Illinois Youth Center at St. Charles and three attempted suicides at the Warrensville Center in 2007.
After September's suicide at St. Charles, a team from John Howard Association conducted a site visit to evaluate the facility. That facility is of particular concern because it houses 275 of the 1,400 children in juvenile detention in the state, roughly 20 percent.
The team inspected the living areas for sanitation, health hazards and maintenance problems. The inspection at St. Charles uncovered numerous outmoded features that facilitated suicides, including sturdy metal bunk bed frames and exposed pipes in the bathrooms.
The JHA report detailed deficiencies room by room. With respect to Harding Cottage, for example, the team noted that Room 2 is unused because it floods from an adjacent shower room; Room 22 is uninhabitable due to rusted window sills, sink on the floor and exposed tiles; in 10 different rooms the toilets leak or are broken; and rooms 12 and 19 have holes in the floor and wall. The JHA team described Harding Cottage as having rusted, pitted window sills and cracked and missing floor tiles throughout the building. Shower room B harbors mold and mildew while the common room floor is water-damaged.
The JHA team stated in its report that its members were "appalled" at the condition of many of St. Charles living quarters. The team described facilities hampered by years of neglect with only marginal efforts at maintenance. The team not only made recommendations for correcting what it called egregious conditions at St. Charles; it also suggested that an assessment be conducted to determine whether this juvenile detention facility should continue to operate.
The physical condition of the Illinois Youth Centers is not the sole concern though; these reports and incidents also raise significant concerns about the supervision in these facilities.
The September suicide by hanging at St. Charles is reminiscent of a prior suicide attempt at Warrensville. In 2007, Hannieh Johnson was found hanging; though she was later revived, she is expected to remain in a vegetative state for life. This tragic event highlighted staffing issues in juvenile detention facilities - her suicide attempt occurred within a day of being removed from suicide watch at an under-staffed facility.
The JHA report on St. Charles also cites a need from increased staffing, recommending a one to eight adult to child ratio during waking hours and a one to 24 ratio at night.
Of course, identifying these problems is simply the first step in a long process of improving the situation. Hopefully Illinois officials will take prompt action, to ensure that more children are not harmed as a result of inadequate conditions and poor supervision.
