Md. Senators Move to Close Youth Facility, Distribute Land
The District's Oak Hill juvenile detention center, shown last fall, occupies 800 acres in Laurel and now has about 60 residents.
(By Toni L. Sandys -- The Washington Post)
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Friday, March 30, 2007
Maryland's two U.S. senators yesterday introduced a bill that would move the District's troubled juvenile detention facility to the city from its location in Laurel.
The legislation, introduced by Sens. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) and Barbara A. Mikulski (D), also would transfer portions of the 800-acre Oak Hill property to the National Park Service, Anne Arundel County and the Army.
"This bill is a win-win for everyone involved," Cardin said in a statement. "It would provide the children in the D.C. juvenile justice system with a new facility closer to their families, and it would give back to the surrounding community a substantial portion of land."
The District received the property under a federal land grant in 1923 and built Oak Hill in 1967. Cardin called the facility a "disgrace" and said it should be torn down because of severe disrepair. Oak Hill's population has declined from about 245 youths in February 2005 to about 60 now.
The bill calls for a new juvenile-detention center to be built in the District, but no location is specified. It comes at a time when D.C. officials are pursuing plans to build a state-of-the-art juvenile detention facility at the Laurel site. Meanwhile, three units in the current complex have been renovated and a fourth is undergoing improvements, D.C. officials said.
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) said he plans to meet with the senators, outline the District's plans and determine what is best. "We know that Oak Hill, to the extent it is now, is an embarrassment to the city, and we will not tolerate that," Fenty said last night.
The bill would turn part of the Oak Hill property into federal parkland, give part to Anne Arundel and transfer part to the Army for use by the National Security Agency, which is located at nearby Fort Meade.
Anne Arundel's share of the property would come with strings attached. If a significant part of it was used for anything other than parkland or recreation, the county would be required to reimburse the federal government for the cost of the District's new detention center.
Cardin introduced similar legislation in 2004 and 2005.
Oak Hill has been plagued for years by poor conditions and security problems. In a statement, Mikulski said she was "very concerned" about the situation at Oak Hill, which houses offenders 14 to 21 years old.
A D.C. Superior Court judge said in December that the District had failed to do enough to improve conditions for juvenile offenders, particularly at Oak Hill. He ordered city officials to produce a comprehensive plan by the end of April to address the shortcomings.
Staff writers Henri E. Cauvin and David Nakamura contributed to this report.
