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State health department creates 100 new placements for kids in juvenile justice system
11/25/23, 4:07 AM
"MDHHS recognizes the need for reform so that juvenile justice youth can receive the treatment they need to realize their dreams," Hertel said in a statement. "We have made great progress in providing additional placement options and will continue to work with the Legislature, counties and judges around the state, and advocates for youth to make Michigan's juvenile justice system a national model for success."
According to the Detroit News, "the state health department has worked to create about 100 new placements for kids in the juvenile justice system since March, according to the agency.
The latest addition is with Rite of Passage in Macomb County, which will be able to host 20 juveniles in a secure treatment facility beginning this week, according to a press release from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
There's been a desperate need for secure treatment facilities, especially in Wayne County, where the Juvenile Detention Facility has been overcrowded due to youth with adjudicated cases not having anywhere to go because of a lack of beds. MDHHS started searching for additional beds in March when the crisis at the JDF reached its breaking point and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans declared a state of emergency."
Read the full article here.