Closure of Troubled Oak Hill Moves Forward

Although the suit was settled with a consent decree in 1986, the District since has repeatedly been found in contempt of the court order and has paid millions of dollars in court fines.

Escapes and violent incidents remain a problem.

In November, a youth died after suffering head injuries in a fight with two other detainees. D.C. police are investigating the death, and Schiraldi's agency is reviewing whether guards followed proper procedures in responding to the fight.

About 30 of the 50 buildings scattered around the weed-strewed Oak Hill campus have been abandoned over the years. The complex includes six housing units, two administration buildings, three school buildings, a gym and a large multipurpose room where meals are served.

Plans for a new facility are in the predesign phase, youth agency officials said. Construction is scheduled to begin in September 2007 and to be completed in January 2009.

Schiraldi, who was appointed a year ago by Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) to lead a reform effort at the agency, said the capacity would be reduced from 220 to 60 beds to create a more intimate setting that would allow officials to provide more intense and personal services to the most troubled juveniles. Oak Hill has about 85 residents, but Schiraldi said some of them would be better served in community treatment programs.

The eventual goal would be to place 24 of the 60 beds at a site in the District, he said.

Under the legislation sponsored by Cardin and Sarbanes, Anne Arundel would reimburse the NSA for the amount it spent to pay for a new D.C. detention facility if the county made 25 percent or more of its share of the property available for purposes other than open space or recreational use.

Residents living near Oak Hill said they support the bill. They said searchlights and the noisy whir of helicopters looking for escaped juveniles are frequent.

"There's safety issues there," said BJ Taylor, vice president of the Russett Community Association, which includes 3,700 homes in western Anne Arundel near Oak Hill.