DECEMBER 5, 2025
We have received the recent OSIG report on Bon Air juvenile correctional center. We are proud to relay that all of the OSIG findings are related to documentation and resource deficiencies and do not reflect or support a lapse in supervision or service delivery to the detriment of any youth in our care.
The Department granted OSIG full access to the facility, our documentation system (BADGE), staff, and residents. The team spent numerous hours inside the facility, speaking with residents and staff, and observing facility processes at all hours of the day and night. OSIG left no stone unturned in a detailed, all-encompassing approach. While their review noted a number of areas for procedural improvement, OSIGs investigation confirmed that the allegations against Bon Air JCC were unfounded. We are pleased their recommendations acknowledge our resource hurdles, and also that their work uncovered previously unidentified insight into documentation and process deficiencies. The Department appreciates the efforts and guidance OSIG has provided us.
The dedicated staff at Bon Air JCC have long-suffered misconceptions and unsubstantiated allegations from entities lacking in-depth knowledge of the workings of the Department or Bon Air. It is refreshing to see, that even after a large team of people dedicated months solely to reviewing the activities at Bon Air, many of the allegations lobbed against the facility and facility staff were unsubstantiated. There was no evidence or indication of instances of harm, mistreatment or danger uncovered. Despite the inherent danger of the behavior of the residents themselves, the residents continue to be safe, protected and well cared for by the Department. This is always the main concern, especially given the unfortunate struggles of escapes, attempted escapes, and suicides predating this administration.
Bon Air currently houses approximately 180 residents, whose average age is 17. Roughly 63% of the population are 18 and older, meaning there are more residents at Bon Air who are 18 and over than there are under 18. Approximately 15% have committed homicide, while approximately 76% percent have committed crimes against a person. These are the most serious offenses. At the same time, our staff are not permitted to use the same physical interventions as staff in the Department of Corrections (DOC), our staff are not permitted to use the same tools as staff at DOC, our staff use utilize trauma informed care with our residents, and our staff are expected to be mentors to our residents. Our staff are woefully underpaid, yet there are those that consider it an achievement when the Department’s front-line staff pay finally matches DOC.
The Department of Juvenile Justice’s staff, from the bottom all the way to the top, is comprised of individuals who have not only dedicated their careers to public service, but have taken on the task of caring for young people in our Commonwealth, be they in the community or in a secure facility. In many ways, the Department is one of last chance, or last resort. The Department, through its staff, embraces this challenge and is dedicated to doing everything in our collective power to rehabilitate the youth sent to us by providing individualized therapeutic interventions. These interventions take time, they take significant resources, and they take sufficient staff to provide them. Perfection is a goal, and not often a reality in any correctional facility. We look forward to enthusiastically incorporating their recommendations and enacting our corrective action plans.
