Who Couldn't Find Deidrick Johnson?

Discussion Policy

Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

A big to-do has been made about the failure of two DYRS social workers to monitor Johnson monthly after he was released from the Oak Hill juvenile detention facility in December 2006. They lost their jobs.

As for the DYRS officials who released him in December 2006 or those in the Absconder Unit who missed him right under their noses? Hush your mouth!

To hear DYRS chief Vincent Schiraldi and his boosters tell it, things are going swimmingly in his department, in contrast to the bad old days when now-D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray and former mayors Sharon Pratt and Marion Barry were overseers of Oak Hill and the youth corrections system.

Ah, yes.

As long as DYRS juveniles are opening fire from passing cars in Southeast and not making the front pages with shootouts west of Rock Creek Park, I guess Schiraldi and company have reason to feel good about themselves.

But the facts say otherwise.

This week, I asked the D.C. Superior Court how many custody orders (bench warrants) are outstanding and how many were outstanding on Dec. 31 last year and on Dec. 31, 2006.

The court's reply:

"Custody orders issued for failure to appear in court or as a result of abscondence [leaving a DYRS-designated facility] are, as of:

-- Feb. 12, 2008: Cases 382, Respondents 333.

-- Dec. 31, 2007: Cases 343, Respondents 310.

-- Dec. 31, 2006: Cases 207, Respondents 184.