In response to a letter describing poor conditions for juvenile detainees at Baltimore County Detention Center, the newly confirmed Director of Corrections for the County disputed many of the allegations on Friday.
"As previously shared," writes Walt Pesterfield, "in many cases, conditions were not found to be as described in the letter from the Maryland Office of the Public Defender; however, the County has identified areas for improvement in some areas."
Pesterfield in his 6-page letter, goes through and responds, in many cases refutes, the allegations made by OPD in their March letter.
On a couple points, he concedes that COVID-19 restrictions have caused more isolation and lack of services on intake.
However, on most of the 18 separate allegations he pulls from the OPD's March letter, he disputes the conditions are as described, but also says that BCDC was not designed for kids.
"Baltimore County shares concerns regarding appropriate placement for juvenile offenders at a facility that was not designed to house juveniles," he says. "Baltimore County is actively working with potential partners to identify alternative housing options for Baltimore County juvenile detainees charged as adults."
Here's the full letter:
4.21.23 Letter OPD Pesterfield on Scribd
Deborah St. Jean, the director of the OPD's Juvenile Protection Division sent us this response Friday evening:
"Despite their best efforts, the jail cannot physically or practically meet the constitutional requirements of housing children in the same facility as adults. Director Pesterfield’s letter acknowledges that the jail was not designed to house children.
We stand by our letter, and believe our clients, whose accounts are consistent with what we have heard from other children for years. Scores of children have shared their experiences of being locked in, away from their families and communities, subjected to harsh conditions inappropriate for children. The incarceration of children in adult jails is a systemic issue and mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure that moving forward all children are housed in facilities designed to provide for their care and education, rather than providing a band-aid to the concerns that can be addressed."
