Teenagers who are locked up in a youth detention facility that’s run state-wide are presumed to be safe from harm, where the focus then lies in rehabilitation. But reality seems to be different. Abuse happens, even in facilities that are run by the state. And abuse isn’t always something that leaves visible marks in the form of bruising, or scars. So how would the general population, the parents, even know whether the children are suffering?
After all, not all abuse gets reported. And even if it is reported, is anyone even listening? Are people speaking up?
Maryland is one state that has faced some uncomfortable (to say the least) questions in recent years – the June 2025 federal lawsuit against Maryland’s state-run youth facilities, the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School in Cheltenham lawsuit in March 2025 are just a few examples.
To be more precise, 3,800+ civil lawsuits have been filed under Maryland’s Child Victims Act since it took effect in 2023.
There’ve been numerous more public scandals and lawsuits in system-backed (and/or run) institutions.
So what changed, and how is Maryland tackling this horrendous issue, and can Maryland pioneer a new, better system that’s going to overhaul the way detention is being run?
How Mandatory Reporting Works in Maryland
Mandatory reporting is a law that says that people are obligated to report suspected abuse if they see or hear about it and there are no exceptions to this.
In Juvenile detention centers in Maryland, that includes just about every adult who works with the kids, like guards, nurses, doctors, counselors, teachers, and even outside contractors. If any of them believe a young person has been abused in any way, they’re legally required to speak up.
The process starts with a verbal report, which has to be made right away to Child Protective Services or the police.
After that, there’s a written report to be made and it’s due in 48 hours. It’s not optional and it’s not something anyone else can handle.
If a staff member doesn’t report something they should have, they can even lose their job and face criminal charges. Once the report is done, both the Department of Juvenile Services and CPS get involved. CPS investigates, and DJS has to cooperate and look into whether the staff followed all the rules.
Internal Systems That Support Monitoring of Abuse
There are several internal systems inside juvenile detention centers in Maryland, and they’re all supposed to help detect and prevent abuse.
Most common areas in the facilities are under video surveillance and the footage is usually stored for a set period to help in case something needs to be looked at later. In some locations, staff keep an eye on cameras in real time, but usually, the footage gets checked only after there’s been a complaint or an incident.
Video evidence plays a big role in internal investigations. Staff are also trained on how to spot signs of abuse and how to respond when a report is made. The training should not be a one-time orientation but something that’s ongoing.
At the same time, kids are told about their rights and how they can report an incident if something goes wrong. This part usually happens during intake and many facilities provide handbooks or post instructions on bulletin boards. If a child wants to file a complaint, they can use things like locked drop boxes, talk to designated staff, or speak straight with an ombudsman during visits.
Once somebody files a complaint, staff are required to respond quickly and document what they do next. The process is confidential and kids are meant to be protected from any kind of retaliation, although how well that actually works can vary from one facility to another.
Checking Compliance
The Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) is the body responsible for checking if its facilities are following all rules when it comes to preventing and reporting abuse. This is done through internal reviews, which are usually scheduled but can also happen after an incident.
The way it works is, compliance officers visit the facilities, look at paperwork, check timelines to see how quickly complaints were handled, and make sure staff are following protocol. Some of these checks are connected to federal standards like the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), which set nationwide guidelines for preventing and responding to sexual abuse in detention. If a facility doesn’t meet the requirements, DJS can issue corrective actions or even disciplinary measures for staff.
Between 2021 and 2023, an internal audit found over 330 performance deficiencies across Maryland youth detention facilities with many of these being repeat violations.
In some cases, third-party groups are allowed to visit and report on conditions, but that depends on whether there are any existing partnerships in place and it’s not something that gets consistently practiced across all centers.
The Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit (JJMU), part of Maryland’s Office of the Correctional Ombudsman, is in charge of external oversight by conducting site visits and publishing quarterly public reports on various criteria (e.g., conditions, compliance, complaint trends, etc.). Regardless, their impact is dependant on DJS implementing the recommendations.
Basically, there’s no guarantee that the facility will get independent oversight. If you look up something like “Maryland youth detention abuse legal case” online, you’ll find cases where court documents showed that staff didn’t act on a written complaint made by a child, which later became a key issue in the lawsuit. Problems like these then raised broader questions about how well internal systems catch and handle abuse before it goes further.
Conclusion
As you saw, there are a lot of ways to monitor abuse in detention. There are video cameras, training manuals, folders full of policy documents, laws, checklists… But is any of that a guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen?
Absolutely not. Then again, does life ever offer any guarantees?
But silence is far from proof that everything is okay, especially when it comes to locked buildings where people might be scared to speak up. The focus shouldn’t be on whether there’s a system in place but on whether that system does what it says.
Sometimes it does, other times it doesn’t. And when it doesn’t, you see headlines and lawsuits.
Hopefully, change is what follows.
