Juvenile Services Secretary Vincent Schiraldi testifies before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee during a briefing Wednesday in Annapolis. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)
A Maryland Senate panel grilled Juvenile Services Secretary Vincent Schiraldi Wednesday on a “troubling” report on the agency’s performance, including concerns about staffing and juveniles who recommit crimes and are returned to the department’s custody.
Members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee peppered Schiraldi with questions during a sometimes testy hearing that went on for more than three hours to discuss the report — which covered years of operations, only the last few months of which were during Schiraldi’s tenure.
The report by the Office of Program Evaluation and Accountability ran through the end of fiscal 2023. Schiraldi was appointed by Gov. Wes Moore (D) in February 2023, which means he led the agency for about six months of the time the report reviewed.
Among its findings, the report looked at 15 youths in DJS custody, 14 of whom were charged after their release crimes such as burglary, assault, motor vehicle theft and carjacking, and returned to the department, a fact that seemed to concern a number of the senators.
In one particularly contentious exchange, Sen. William G. Folden (R-Frederick) pressed Schiraldi with several questions about events that have happened well after he took over control of the department, including alleged assaults on staff members reported by Fox-45 in November.
“Are staff members and teens in danger at DJS facilities?” Folden asked Schiraldi.
“There is no correctional facility in the country that I’m aware of where staff and youth aren’t in some level of danger. That’s why we train people in those facilities,” Schiraldi said.
As Schiraldi explained about staff training, Folden interjected and asked a few more questions.
“Are you going to let me answer the questions, or are you just going to keep cutting in on me?” Schiraldi asked.
“Go ahead and finish,” Folden said.
In terms of staffing, Schiraldi said the job vacancy rate at the department has decreased from 16% when he arrived to 11% now.
When asked by committee Chair William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery) whether assaults in the facilities are trending “up or down,” Schiraldi said it depends on facility.
“It’s a little of both,” he said later.
A few senators asked about the agency’s case management system, which the report said should be updated. The system, called ASSIST (Automated Statewide System of Information Support Tools), does not input information from youth who may have received mentoring and other services from providers who are not contracted with DJS — which is as many as 70% of cases, the report said.
“This lack of comprehensive service tracking makes it challenging to effectively evaluate youth outcomes,” said the report, which was released last month. “By expanding placement tracking to include non-contracted providers, DJS would gain valuable data about service utilization patterns and program effectiveness while maintaining the flexibility to refer youth to appropriate community resources.”
Schiraldi said Wednesday the agency plans to upgrade the system.
Michael Powell, director of the accountability office that prepared the report, acknowledged during about 75 minutes of briefing the committee before Schiraldi spoke, that it mainly highlights the agency’s process.
“It was really antiseptic,” said Sen. Chris West (R-Baltimore County), noting that the data through fiscal 2023 and mainly does not involve the current administration.
Schiraldi said the department will release a detailed research guide later this month that will include updated information and other data for fiscal 2024. That guide for fiscal 2023 highlighted the types of offenses in a particular region, number of youths supervised by the agency and “statewide activity for youth of color.”
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