NCJ Number
188726
Journal
Corrections Technology & Management Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2001 Pages: 26-31
Date Published
2001
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes how a Delaware youth detention facility solved its overcrowding problem.
Abstract
Planning is an integral part of the Stevenson House's mechanism for dealing with overcrowding. The Population Emergency Reduction Team (PERT) meets whenever the population in Stevenson House rises above 40 (the facility is designed to serve 30). PERT contacts the Family Court to ensure that youth are moved through Stevenson House as quickly as possible. The plan might include transferring up to 12 residents to another facility. Residents can be transported to a detention center in New Castle County, more than 60 miles away. The ultimate solution to overcrowding at Stevenson House is to build a new facility. In the summer of 2000, Delaware's 140th General Assembly authorized funding for a new 77-bed secure-care detention facility that will house pretrial youths ages 12-19 in Kent and Sussex counties. This will take up to 2 years. Meanwhile, cooperative administrative action from the courts, open communication between management and staff, and established procedures for extreme conditions go a long way toward alleviating the effects of severe overcrowding at Stevenson House.