Marathon hearing held to discuss a reform of DC's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

WASHINGTON D.C., DC — For over seven hours, the D.C. Council heard witnesses testify on a proposed legislation that would reform the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS). 

Attorney General Schwalb who is charged with prosecuting juvenile crime cases in the District is behind the reform known as the Recidivism Reduction, Oversight, and Accountability for DYRS Act (ROAD Act). 

Schwalb's bill introduced in May, proposes a series of overhauls to the DC agency responsible for the supervision, custody, and care of children and teenagers found responsible for a crime. 

"DYRS is struggling," he said during Wednesday's hearing.

The proposed legislation seeks to reform the supervision and intervention practices at the agency. Under the ROAD Act, DYRS would be required to provide committed youth with a treatment plan within 30 days. Under current D.C. law, the agency has 90 days to provide the plan. 

DYRS Director Sam Abed recognized that DYRS is not meeting the 30-day window, testifying on Wednesday that it takes an average of 62 days. He pushed back on the timelines in the legislation and on the bill overall, telling the D.C. Council, "It creates unreasonable requirements that call on DYRS to take on the role and responsibilities of other system partners."

Schwalb testified that DYRS has failed to provide some youth with a treatment plans within the 90 days that the D.C. law stipulates. 

"Nearly 50% of youth committed to DYRS, 47.6 according to the report, are subsequently convicted of committing an additional criminal offense either under DYRS care or within a few years of their release of commitment," Schwalb added. 

The Attorney General's Office says Schwalb's plan would "strengthen the D.C. Superior Court's authority to intervene when it becomes clear that DYRS is not providing appropriate services and placements for young people in its care. "

In May, Mayor Muriel Bowser told WUSA9 that she was not interested in reforming the agency under her purview. "DYRS is a fantastic agency and we need to focus on making sure that they have the people that they need, and if the young people need to be in secure detention, are actually in secure detention," she said. 

Abed testified Wednesday that DYRS does not have issues with staffing and that the agency is fully funded. He did share that the agency is struggling with an estimated 30 employees not showing up to work. 

During the council hearing, members of the Bowser Administration pushed back on Schwalb's proposal. "We do not support this proposal as introduced. First the ROAD Act overlooks that DYRS has ample oversight," Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah said. 

The ROAD Act would establish permanent independent oversight of DYRS. That role would fall under the Office of the D.C. Auditor.

The oversight assignment was called into question by the current D.C. Auditor, Kathleen Patterson, who testified that her team does not have the expertise on the issue and that they would be unable to look into individual cases.

The councilmembers holding the hearing expressed interest in moving forward with legislation to make improvements at DYRS. They also requested additional data from Abed and Appiah to better assess the needs of the agency.

"I do want to start by acknowledging the positive direction that the agency is going, and I think we can celebrate that while acknowledging there's a lot of work to do," Councilmember Zachary Parker told Abed. The Ward 5 councilmember has been assigned to the new subcommittee that oversees DYRS, after the council voted to dissolve the Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs.  

The council's decision to form subcommittees was in response to Councilmember Trayon White's arrest. The Ward 8 councilmember charged with a single bribery count chaired the Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs.