Teen Offenders Spared the Rod

Schiraldi took the mandate to heart. He informed corrections officers that they were expected to be counselors and changed their titles to youth development specialists, requiring more training and formal education. Two dozen quit.

He replaced the D.C. public school on the Oak Hill compound with a charter school. He issued rules that practically forbid expelling students from classes.

Now, students such as 16-year-old Deandre Providence, who rarely went to school on the outside, make furniture in shop class, discuss history and muddle through algebra, like it or not.

"I don't get it," Providence said while staring at x's and y's. He estimated that he had been arrested as many as 20 times since age 10, trying to get money to eat. But he vows not to get into more trouble.

As an incentive for good behavior, Schiraldi set progress levels that allow early release for those who follow the rules and respond to treatment. Schiraldi focused on speed, not diplomacy, rankling judges, his own employees and community activists who argued that he was endangering public safety.

"I had to hurry up," Schiraldi said. "I am trying to achieve an end."

During Schiraldi's tenure, the number of youths assigned to the agency has ballooned 73 percent, from 420 to 727 as of early this month. During that time, there has been a steep decline in the number of runaways and a 6 percent decline in recidivism as measured within a year of release.

He reduced the number of juveniles at Oak Hill from 120 to 80 by moving those awaiting trial to a facility in Northeast.

By March, when the agency plans to open a $46 million replacement facility near Oak Hill, only 60 beds will be available, prompting concerns about whether a firm cap will force Schiraldi to release dangerous youths.

Many juvenile-justice experts have praised Schiraldi, who won an innovators award from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

"There is a radical shift to the benefit of the kids," said Kristin N. Henning, a Georgetown Law professor who has also represented teens in juvenile court cases for more than a decade. "It takes time to engage the child. It's a trial-and-error process. It's a balance, and it's a risk. The question is how much is the community willing to risk."

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