The Nassau County Legislature held a public meeting on Tuesday, May 14 to review current practices and procedures at the county's Juvenile Detention Center (JDC), located on Carman Avenue in Westbury.

The JDC, which houses approximately three dozen juvenile offenders, has recently come under scrutiny following allegations that group aides working at the center solicited protection money from parents of youthful offenders to ensure the safety of their children.

The parents state that two group aides at the JDC demanded they pay more than $20,000 to protect their 16-year-old son. They also charged that the employees allegedly provided alcohol and marijuana to the children at the center. As a result, the parents planned to sue the county for federal rights violations.

In February, an undercover operation by the Nassau County District Attorney's Office led to the arrest of a 33-year-old West Babylon man and a 28-year-old Middle Island man, both employed as Group Work Aides at the center. The men were charged with second-degree grand larceny, a class C felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, for allegedly extorting money from the parents of an inmate by instilling fears about the inmate's safety.

According to District Attorney Denis Dillon, "[One of the men] is accused of extorting money from a parent by instilling in that parent a fear that he would otherwise fail to care for and protect the parent's son, who was a resident at the Juvenile Detention Center. [The other] is charged with aiding and abetting in that extortion." Both men have since been fired from the JDC and their cases are being reviewed to determine whether or not they will be indicted and sent to trial before the grand jury.

At the May 14 hearing, the legislature listened to testimonies from JDC officials, gathering information on everything from the physical plant and security at the facility to staffing and preparation of meals. The meeting was called by Legislator's Joseph Scannell (D-Baldwin), chair of the legislature's Public Safety Committee, and Deputy Presiding Officer Roger Corbin (D-Westbury), chair of the Health Committee and in whose district the JDC lies.

Although a January 2002 letter from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) documents compliance at the center, noting that the facility is at full staffing levels and the overall condition of the building is clean and well-maintained, Legislators Scannell and Corbin said they wanted to hear firsthand from officials who are familiar with the center's operation.

"Ultimately, the most important thing is to ensure the safety and well-being of these young adults while they are at the juvenile center," said Scannell. "At a time when the future of these individuals hangs in the balance, we want to make sure that the Juvenile Detention Center does not do anything to unfairly tip the scales of justice against them."

John Blatny, director of JDC, testified that while there have been many improvements at the center in recent years, the one weak link is the compensation package that is offered to employees. He explained that entry-level group aides, who may be responsible for up to eight children at any one time, make $20,000 annually.

Under questioning by legislators, Blatny added that meals, which are shipped from the Nassau County Correctional Facility in East Meadow, are frequently unappealing to the young offenders. Officials are investigating other options for preparation of the meals, including utilizing a kitchen at the JDC.

Robert Sherman, commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Social Services, and Anthony Cancellieri, deputy county executive in charge of overseeing public safety issues, said that since the JDC will soon be in need of substantial repairs, officials are also considering moving the JDC to a building on the grounds of the Nassau County jail.

Corbin said he would be opposed to moving the JDC onto the jail property. "I do not believe that youthful offenders should be incarcerated anywhere near adults serving time in the County's Correctional Center," he said. "I think it would be extremely detrimental to these kids. They should not be subjected to any influence that can be considered to be negative. We need to know that the center and its employees are doing everything in their power to maintain a professional atmosphere and set an example for these impressionable young adults."

The JDC, formerly known as the Nassau County Children's Shelter, was established in 1955 to house children who are classified as juvenile delinquents (JD) or juvenile offenders (JO). JDs are youngsters age 10 to 15 who are charged with acts that, if committed by adults, would be considered a crime, including larceny, assaults, criminal possession of a controlled substance, violation of probation and weapons possession. JOs are children who are prosecuted as adults for such violent felonies as rape, murder, arson, armed robbery and first-degree burglary.

The JDC is a coed facility, with females comprising approximately 15 percent of the population. There are some combined activities, but for the most part boys and girls are segregated. Residents are placed in groups of six to eight children depending on the population and each group is supervised by a Group Worker Aide at all times. The role of the aide is to observe, interact and intervene and report any unusual behavior.

In a statement presented at the hearing, Sherman stated that the following steps are being taken to ensure that children at the center receive the proper supervision and care: a complete review of the Policy and Procedures Manual, a look at the operating procedures of other juvenile facilities in the state; and a security assessment of the center. Sherman also said that the Department of Social Services is exploring the possibility of hiring an outside consultant to perform an independent review of the facility through funding available from the federal government.

"I would [also] like to invite each member of [the] legislature to visit the JDC to see firsthand the level of services provided to the residents," stated Sherman. "While the center has been the subject of unfavorable media reports within the past year, I am proud of the daily efforts of our hardworking staff and of the professional manner in which the center is operated."

Scannell said that there appears to be a drastic need for in-house service training for supervisors who interact with children, higher qualifications to be applied during the hiring process, exploring the quality of food at the center and bringing bathroom facilities to each bedroom or dorm so those at the center don't have to leave the room to use the facilities.

The information gathered at the hearing will be compiled in a report to the administration within 60 days. The administration will also process a report and a meeting will be called with the commissioner of the New York State Office of Family and Children's Services to discuss follow-up procedures.