Rats and rodent feces, tattered shoes and extreme heat and cold were just some of the conditions an independent watchdog found during unannounced inspections of the Maryland juvenile corrections facilities.
Youth advocates are railing against the conditions, calling them unsafe and unsanitary for children and demanding action from the state.
“Maryland is failing kids in its custody by holding them in inhumane and dangerous conditions without appropriate medical care,” Alice Wilkerson, a spokesperson for the Maryland Youth Justice Coalition said in a statement. “The unacceptable conditions documented by the Ombudsman—including, outrageously, youths naming rodents as if they were pets—highlights the need for immediate action to improve youth facilities and to end the harmful practice of charging children as adults.”
Read more (and listen) at WYPR.
