Agency: Juvenile Rehabilitation remains over capacity as adult-sentence intakes grow

Jennifer Redmond, assistant secretary of Juvenile Rehabilitation at the Department of Children, Youth and Families, told a legislative committee the system is small and sensitive to small intake changes, and that recent policy shifts extending jurisdiction to age 25 have increased adult-sentence intakes and lengths of stay.

"At Green Hill School today, 74 young people have a release date, an adult release date that extends beyond age 25," Redmond said, describing a Green Hill population she placed at about 210. She added that the agency's "safe operating capacity" benchmark is 180 and that double-bunking and limited program access remain problems.

Redmond said the department has pursued several interventions to stabilize facilities: a behavior-management program rolled out late last winter, operational changes (point-of-entry and visitation rules), staffing fairs and trainings, and external short-term support from the adult Department of Corrections through an incident-command process. She told lawmakers that use-of-force incidents have declined markedly: "the use of force incidences ... went from anywhere about 65, down to, I believe it was 19." She framed the decline as evidence the interventions are working but said capacity pressures persist.

Redmond described Harbor Heights, the new smaller facility intended as a short-term step-down: it can hold up to 46 residents (including a two‑bed flex space), currently has 22 and will add the second wing once a medical trailer arrives. She said Harbor Heights will receive transfers only from Green Hill, not direct intakes, and that community transition services (CTS) remain limited: "In year 1 of CTS implementation, we've had 25 individuals participate in CTS," and the program does not yet allow 50 concurrent placements as sometimes assumed.

During questions, members pressed Redmond on measures of success, developmental-disability screening and a requested mental-health facility (Parkland). Redmond said success is individualized—education, vocational credentials, mental-health stability and safe transition to community settings all matter—and that DCYF is seeking funding for a Parkland facility (roughly 15–16 rooms with mental‑health staffing) to serve higher‑acuity youth and reduce pressure on secure institutions.

The department emphasized ongoing work: weekly multidisciplinary classification meetings to move eligible youth into community placements, quality-assurance reviews of use-of-force incidents, and continued requests for staff and program funding. Redmond said caseload-forecasting data will be finalized in November and that population projections continue to show increases in both juvenile and adult-sentenced residents.

The committee will receive follow-up materials and has the opportunity to review additional appendix slides Redmond said contain more detail on interventions and program offerings.