Anne Arundel?s attempt to stop the expansion of a juvenile detention center in Maryland City is being squashed by the attorney?s general office.
County Executive John R. Leopold said last week that he has asked Attorney General Doug Gansler to enforce a state law he claims the District of Columbia violated when it began expanding the Oak Hill Youth Center, which houses the District?s juvenile criminals.
“The law prohibits any state or other jurisdictions to build a detention center without prior written approval from the Secretary of Juvenile Services … which they never received,” Leopold said.
But that law doesn?t include juvenile centers, said Raquel Guillory, Gansler?s spokeswoman. She provided The Examiner with a 1985 letter from then-attorney general Stephen Sachs that said the law didn?t clearly include juvenile centers.
“If this is the intent, we suggest that the bill be clarified … to better reflect this intent,” he wrote.
The Oak Hill facility is on land that houses about 80 inmates and is owned by the federal government, which oversees the District?s government.
The center has come under fire for poor conditions, escapes and improper actions. This past year, an Oak Hill guard assaulted a teenager at a Maryland City gas station who was mistaken for an escaped inmate.
Anne Arundel opposes the facility?s existence, especially since the District began expanding the center this past year unbeknownst to county officials or the community ? the District never held public meetings on the project, they said.
Officials from D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty?s office did not return calls for comment.
But Tammy Brown, spokeswoman for the state Department of Juvenile Services, said Secretary Donald DeVore was advised by Gansler?s office that the District didn?t need the state?s approval because of Sachs? letter and the fact that the state has no jurisdiction on federal property.
The county disagrees.
“This letter confirms our theory,” said Anne Arundel County Attorney Jonathan Hodgson.
“We believe the law is clear and our request is on solid ground.”
Community leaders near the facility also oppose the juvenile facility and support its removal.
“We have five prisons near our community, and all you ever hear about is Oak Hill,” said Tim Reyburn, president of the West County Federation.
“How amicable would D.C. be if Maryland built a prison to ship its troubled youths?”
