The Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) is under fire for outdated systems and lack of oversight following a scathing audit and a tense Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee meeting. As reported by FOX Baltimore, the Senate committee grilled DJS Secretary Vincent Schiraldi on his department’s shortcomings, as outlined in a December 2024 report. The report emphasized that DJS lacks performance metrics for evaluating non-DJS-contracted organizations, leading to concerns about the department's ability to track and ensure the success of its programs.
During the committee meeting, Secretary Schiraldi was questioned on various fronts, with lawmakers expressing frustration over the slow pace of change within the department and the lack of closely tracked data sets. According to FOX Baltimore, Senator Chris West criticized, "You’re checking all the bureaucracy boxes but you’re not checking to see if the eservices are doing the job." Acknowledging the issue, Secretary Schiraldi conceded that inherited systems were not up to par, stating, "The department I inherited was doing none of this."
An additional report by WBALTV underscored the DJS's inability to make data-driven decisions due to an antiquated case management system, lacking crucial information to measure the effectiveness of its services. Michael Powell, director of the Department of Legislative Services' Office of Program Evaluation, emphasized the gravity of the situation, "I think they should know if their providers are delivering for us what we have asked them to deliver, not just meeting the terms and conditions of their contract. Are they making a difference in the lives of the kids we are referring to them?"
This lack of measurable success and transparency extended to encompass concerns about staff safety and handling recidivism data within juvenile facilities. Senator Michael McKay lamented the risks faced by staff, telling FOX Baltimore, "Every single staff member has been assaulted there are no consequences." Meanwhile, Senator Jeff Waldstreicher challenged the department's definition and tracking of recidivism, revealing that repeat offenses were not always counted as such, depending on the stage at which a complaint was resolved.
