Wayne County could be closer to losing the license for its juvenile jail after the state said Tuesday that it intends to downgrade the facility’s status for the second time in less than four months.
The latest crackdown faced by the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center stems from a state investigation that found two staffers didn’t do enough to stop a youth from hurting another resident in a Sept. 28 incident where one youth hit, kicked and dragged another juvenile down a hallway by his leg, according to the state report. At one point the youth’s head hit the wall, a staffer said.
Video surveillance shows two female staffers trying to get in between the two male youths, with one employee shielding the victim with a suicide gown at one point, according to the investigation. The youth who was hurt was dressed in a suicide gown, but he took it off before the assault, according to the report. Suicide gowns are used as a safety precaution and require a psychiatrist’s order.
Based on the violation, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that it intends to place the detention center on a second provisional license, agency spokesman Bob Wheaton wrote in an email to the Free Press. Provisional licenses , which are good for six months, can be issued once and then extended only twice, he said. After expiring, they can be modified by the state, a full license could be issued or the state could refuse to renew it, according to state law.