JLARC: Audit finds crowding, staffing and flawed risk tools create unsafe juvenile rehabilitation conditions

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee released a preliminary performance audit July 15 finding that crowding, staffing shortfalls and unreliable assessment tools have combined to create unsafe conditions in the Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ (DCYF) juvenile rehabilitation (JR) programs.

"The legislative auditor concluded that problems with crowding, staffing, and poor risk assessments build on each other to create an unsafe environment," JLARC staff Casey Radistitz told the committee. The audit noted JR serves about 400 people on an average day and that 74 percent of residents live in two large secure facilities, Echo Glen and Green Hill, which have operated near or above capacity.

Why it matters: JLARC’s analysis found that as populations in secure facilities rise, so do incidents such as fights, assaults and contraband. The staff said their regression analysis showed, for example, that "for every 10 additional residents per month, there are an additional 5 to 6 assaults or fights at Green Hill." High staff turnover — 47 percent of frontline staff leave within a year — and staff reports that mandatory orientation and refresher training do not prepare workers for on-the-job realities add to safety concerns.

Key findings and recommendations: JLARC issued eight recommendations (one to the legislature and seven to DCYF). The primary recommendation to the legislature urges action on crowding at DCYF secure facilities to improve safety. Recommendations to DCYF include improving frontline staff retention and training, developing clear incident-response procedures, using validated assessments that predict risk for the current population, aligning rehabilitative programs to needs rather than facility placement, matching programs to individual needs, and collecting accurate, comparable data (including consistent recording of room confinement and isolation).

Assessment and data concerns: JLARC staff reported DCYF’s assessment tools are not validated for the system’s current population and can overstate or understate risk, affecting placement decisions. The audit also identified inconsistent recording of room confinement and isolation across facilities, making comparisons and disparity analyses impossible.

Agency response: The agency’s Secretary, introduced to the committee and speaking in response, said DCYF "completely agree[s]" that overcrowding is unsafe and described steps already under way, including pay and staffing changes and the recent opening of Harbor Heights. The Secretary said a detailed written response will follow and asked the legislature for help on pay and program funding.

Next steps: JLARC asked DCYF to report progress by July 2027; full implementation dates cited in the presentation range from December 2027 to July 2028, and JLARC staff will return with a proposed final report in September.

The committee’s discussion included questions about whether JR-to-25 laws have improved outcomes, the standards used to assess training adequacy and validation tests for assessment tools; JLARC staff said causal links are difficult to draw and noted a future State Institute of Public Policy study planned for 2031 on JR-to-25 outcomes.

The committee did not take formal action at this preliminary presentation; the audit remains preliminary and JLARC will consider member comments and the agency’s response before finalizing its report.