NASHVILLE (AP) - A security audit will be performed on all three of the state's youth development centers after a recent breakout and violence at the facility in Middle Tennessee, according to a preliminary report sent to the governor.
The Department of Children's Services sent the report to Gov. Bill Haslam on Friday after 32 teens escaped from the Woodland Hills Youth Development Center in Nashville on the night of Sept 1. Just two nights later, two dozen detainees broke into the yard wielding sticks and spraying a fire extinguisher.
"We wanted to give the governor an idea of where things stood," DCS spokesman Rob Johnson told The Associated Press on Monday. "We're focusing on how we can make the facility more secure and more safe."
According to officials, the 32 teens who escaped Woodland Hills found a weak spot in the fence surrounding the yard and broke out. Five are still at large.
On Tuesday, eight of those who escaped an d were recaptured pleaded guilty to misdemeanor escape in Davidson County General Sessions Court and were sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in jail.
"We want what's best for these young people; we want them to get better," Assistant District Attorney General Stacy Miller told reporters outside the courtroom.
"But in order for them to get better they've got to remain in the treatment center. If they escape, they will be prosecuted accordingly."
Last Wednesday night, about 24 teens - some of whom were part of the breakout - reached the yard. This time, police formed a ring around the center's fence, and no one escaped.
In its report to the governor, DCS said the fence has been repaired and "concrete is being poured at the base ... to secure the fencing."
Fencing at Wilder Youth Development Center in Somerville in West Tennessee will also be reinforced with concrete, according to the report. The other youth development center, Mountain View, is located in Dandridge in East Tennessee.
Records show Woodland Hills has had the most trouble over the last decade, with violent clashes, breakout attempts and attacks on guards.
In 2012, between July and September, police had to be called at least 47 times for assistance, which surpassed total police visits for the previous two years combined. Among the acts of violence listed in police records is a guard trapped in a headlock and repeatedly punched by a young man. Another assault involved four youths ambushing a staff member and beating him until he was rescued by colleagues.
In 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice ranked Woodland Hills as 13th in the country among juvenile facilities with reports of sexual abuse by staffers. In a 2004 breakout attempt, more than a dozen teens armed with broom handles and hurling bricks injured 16 staffers before they were dispersed by police in riot gear.
Johnson acknowledged the facility still has a lot of work to do.
"We're ... working hard," he said.
Haslam spokesman Dave Smith said in an email that the governor received the department's information and visited Woodland Hills on Monday to assess the situation.
"The department is working hard at our youth development centers to get the balance right between helping young people to be able to re-enter the community ... and making sure the environment is safe and secure for them and others," said Smith, adding that DCS is "working with some therapeutic and security experts to make sure they're getting that balance right."
Other changes and proposals in the report:
- Panels teens kicked through to get into the yard are being replaced with mesh steel, in place of foam panels surrounded by metal.
- Develop emergency contingency plans with Tennessee Department of Correction and Tennessee Highway Patrol.
- Evaluate current policies and procedures to determine more effective ways to maintain a safe and se cure environment for staff and detainees.
- Examine mental health status of youth in all centers to determine what additional services may be needed now and in the future.
- Explore differential pay for second and third shift employees to enhance recruitment and hiring.