Our partners at the Youth Art and Self-empowerment Project spoke to The Philadelphia Inquirer about plans to send several Philadelphia youth in custody out of the city, cautioning stakeholders that isolating children from their families and support networks could cause significant harm.
A Commonwealth Court judge has ordered Pennsylvania state officials to take custody of 15 children currently living at a juvenile detention facility in Philadelphia that the city says is dangerously overcrowded and understaffed. They’re among 135 statewide on a waiting list to receive court-ordered treatment at state placements called Youth Development Centers.
The order, issued Thursday by Judge Ellen Ceisler, requires the state Department of Human Services to transfer the children within 10 days to either a new state-run facility that is set to open in Pittston or a private facility in Texas.