Juveniles detained in shelter homes while they await trial are lingering for their court dates for weeks longer than those ordered held in prison, draining available shelter space and causing a bottleneck in the justice system.
D.C. Council Members Phil Mendelson and Tommy Wells, introducing legislation to guarantee quick adjudication for youth ordered to shelter homes, which they say would correct a lack of equity in the District’s speedy trial laws.
By moving all children through the justice system faster, the city will free up space in shelter homes that offer the detainees more freedom, the opportunity to attend public schools and access to rehabilitation options, the council members said.
“The longer you wait, the less the juvenile connects the punishment with the crime,” said Mendelson, chair of the public safety committee. “In the interest of the juvenile detention system being effective, there should be a speedy trial.”
The District’s 10 shelters are designed as short-term, pre-trial solutions for youth with particularlydifficult home lives. In most cases, teens sent to shelters have been arrested on less serious charges and aren’t dangerous enough to be locked up.
The average wait time from arrest to adjudication for youth ordered to secure detention is 23 days, according to 2006 statistics provided by the council’s public safety committee. The wait time for youth ordered to shelter homes was 72 days.
“Moving these cases faster will free up space in shelter homes without costing taxpayers more money, ensure kids gets speedy trials, and if they’re found guilty, ensure they face the consequences of their actions more swiftly,” Wells said during a recent council meeting.
Since Jan. 1, 36 youth released from shelter homes had stayed there for more than 80 days — 21 of those more than 100 days and two more than 200 days. Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, the average stay in a shelter was 40 days.
