Planned Downtown Baltimore Youth Jail Dropped

After years of protest, youth advocates, city and state officials, and community leaders saw a positive return on their efforts to stop the construction of a $70 million, 120- bed youth jail in downtown Baltimore. The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJS) and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) recently announced an alternative plan that calls for Baltimore to designate space for a “regional treatment facility” by October. Outcry from the community and legislators caused O’Malley to commission a report by NCCD in 2011.

After years of protest, youth advocates, city and state officials, and community leaders saw a positive return on their efforts to stop the construction of a $70 million, 120- bed youth jail in downtown Baltimore. The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJS) and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) recently announced an alternative plan that calls for Baltimore to designate space for a “regional treatment facility” by October. Outcry from the community and legislators caused O’Malley to commission a report by NCCD in 2011. NCCD’s “Bed Space Forecast for Baltimore Youth Detention Facility” gave many alternatives to building the multi-million dollar facility and cut roughly $30 million from the project budget.