SC agency seeking repair of ‘despicable’ lockup unit where youth destroyed property
A decrepit lockup facility at the Department of Juvenile Justice’s Broad River Road complex in Columbia is in need of emergency security and safety upgrades after several minors last month escaped from their pods and damaged the ceiling, lights and shower tiles in an adjacent common area.
The State Law Enforcement Division responded to the incident, which Acting Director Eden Hendrick described as a “life-safety emergency” in a letter she sent the Joint Bond Review Committee requesting authorization to proceed with the repairs.
Two youth were checked for injuries following the melee, including one who received off-site medical care, Juvenile Justice spokesman Jarid Munsch said.
The incident is the latest in a long line of security breaches at the Columbia facility, which is severely understaffed and has struggled to recruit and retain quality correctional officers due to long hours, low wages and challenging work conditions.
“Until they get staffed, you’re going to continue to have problems out there,” Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland, told The State Monday. “And they can’t hire staff, because it’s not safe. People aren’t going to go work in an environment where they may get hurt.”
Harpootlian, an outspoken critic of former Juvenile Justice Director Freddie Pough, who resigned in September, credited the work being done by his successor but said long-term, comprehensive reforms will be necessary to right the agency’s ship.
“I think (Hendrick) is doing a valiant job of trying to meet the demands of a job she wasn’t prepared for and we’re not giving her adequate resources,” he said. “She’s not the problem. Pough was the problem, and because of his neglect for four years we find ourselves where we are today.”
DJJ unit described as ‘awful, despicable’
The latest incident, which remains under investigation, happened Nov. 17 when several minors in the Laurel Unit escaped their secure wing due to a compromised door-locking system and wreaked havoc on the building, using damaged pieces of the ceiling and lights as weapons.
Order was restored and the youth were returned to their pods within 25 minutes, Munsch said.
The Laurel unit, a high-security building Hendrick described as “awful” and “despicable” during a legislative hearing in October, is in the process of being phased out, but will continue to house youth in the short-term until staffing is stabilized and modifications to other buildings are complete.
“We have been working with other correctional agencies and companies to assess and develop a plan for improving the security technology and Laurel’s overall condition, but there are no details to share at this point,” Munsch said Monday.
Emergency repairs are needed to replace the unit’s faulty door-locking system, install new lighting and ceilings in the youth pods and housing control areas, replace chipped tiles in the showers and perform associated mechanical work, Hendrick wrote in her request.
The agency plans to complete the repairs with money left over from a prior budget year, but has not provided an estimate of the total cost.
The Joint Bond Review Committee, which was notified of Hendrick’s request Tuesday, is expected to formally review the proposal at the board’s January meeting.
This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 10:44 AM.