Gov. Tom Wolf Proposes Extra $5M to Regulate Juvenile Programs

Governor Tom Wolf is proposing a $5.1 million funding boost to the state’s oversight of residential juvenile programs, after Inquirer investigations into child abuse at the nation’s oldest reform school and the state’s failure to detect or stop it. The extra millions in the 2020/21 budget would fund more than 100 additional staff positions to several program areas within the Department of Human Services (DHS), the state agency that licenses and monitors privately run residential facilities for court-ordered youth. The funds would enable DHS to “complete timely inspections of facilities to ensure full compliance with regulations, investigate complaints, and monitor the implementation of corrective action measures,” according to materials provided by Wolf’s office. The Governor, who recently announced a juvenile-justice task force, is expected to pledge additional funding for the troubled system in the 2021/22 budget as well. Read full article here (subscription required).