Former juvenile detention staffer describes safety and staffing concerns during public comment

Maya Scott, a former employee of the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF), used the meeting’s public comment period to raise concerns about resident safety, staff conduct and supervision.

Scott said she worked at JDF from November to February and described seeing residents pass drugs to one another while supervisors did not intervene. She said managers instructed staff to end one-on-one supervision during a winter break period, then recounted responding alone to a crisis during a 16-hour shift when a resident was repeatedly banging her head; Scott said she was not certified as a crisis technician, that the facility’s crisis team did not respond, and that only one manager advised filing an unusual-incident report. Scott also described feeling bullied by leadership and said she believes the facility’s management discourages employees from remaining long term.

Scott asked the commission to consider whether the county is supporting frontline staff and whether leadership practices contribute to turnover. The commission did not take formal action on the remarks beyond hearing the comment during the public-comment period.

Ending: Scott’s remarks were recorded as public comment; the commission did not announce immediate follow-up at the meeting. The department has previously discussed staffing and placement pressures in the JDF during item deliberations earlier in the meeting.