SC DJJ chief says agency coping with pandemic despite COVID-19 cases among staff, youth

South Carolina’s youth corrections agency says the juvenile system has been hit, but not terribly hard, by COVID-19 as operations continue with the help of technology.

Juvenile Justice Director Freddie Pough testified before a S.C. Senate panel Tuesday about the initiatives put in place in response to the coronavirus. Some of those initiatives include virtual learning and allowing staff members to telecommute.

“Like everyone else, COVID has caused us to look at the way we do business, but it has also allowed us at DJJ to do what I’ve coined, find the COVID silver lining,” Pough said. “We deployed smartphones, laptops, tables and hotspots to all employees that needed them and out of nearly 1,300 employees, we’ve had more than 40% telecommuting during this pandemic.”

Other measures put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 include onsite temperature checks, spraying the facility, requiring all youth and staff to wear masks on campus as well as conducting investigations, hearings and weekly visitations virtually.

“We’ve seen a 30% increase in release rates because the hearing process has become more efficient, and we’ve had a more consistent attendance from stakeholders,” the head of the agency said.

To date, 52 staff members and 38 youths housed at the facility have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Pough. Currently, 82 youths reside at the facility.

Pough said to his knowledge, no staff or residents at DJJ have been hospitalized from COVID-19.

“If there is an outbreak on a wing, we will quarantine on that wing until we get test results back,” Pough said. “Test them all, wait for their quarantine period to clear, sanitize the area before we will start working young people back into that wing.”

Tuesday’s Senate hearing also included conversations about youth criminal justice reform efforts, taking shape through “Raise the Age” legislation which, under certain conditions, would raise the maximum age teenagers can be charged as adults from 17 to 18. Discussions were halted earlier this year due to the pandemic, but efforts to reform the system have been in motion since 2016.

“The background work was done. The Senate missed an opportunity,” State Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington said. “Here we are now still talking about how do we implement.”

Lawmakers plan to file legislation later this year, ahead of next year’s legislative session, and the sense of urgency is even more apparent now due to the coronavirus.

“I cannot emphasize how critical it is during the time of this coronavirus,” Malloy said. “What we have is people in vulnerable situations and one of the most critical ones is the children. This is a time of true leadership that is needed in our state with our children.”

This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 5:20 PM.