Groups sue over conditions in S Carolina s juvenile lockups apnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from apnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A panel of South Carolina senators has given its vote of approval for Eden Hendrick to become the next director of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).
The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice says it will reform its beleaguered central prison for youths through a federal agreement. The settlement agreement announced Thursday follows a report from the U.S. Department of Justice that found state officials were violating the rights of incarcerated youths. State officials say they will now ensure facilities are properly staffed, offer rehabilitative programming and revise use-of-force policies, among other measures. Federal investigators say the agency has failed to protect youths from fights and forced them to spend days or weeks in isolation for small offenses. The Justice Department says agency employees have also harmed children by using excessive force such as choking, punching and kicking.
The South Carolina House spent little time on the floor this week, giving the Ways and Means Committee time to debate the budget before sending it to the floor for full House debate the.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is appointing an attorney who has temporarily steered the state's struggling Department of Juvenile Justice to be the agency's next permanent leader. McMaster announced Tuesday that he's naming Eden Hendrick as the agency's executive director. Hendrick has helmed the department in an acting role since September, when former director Freddie Pough stepped down. The end of Pough's tenure was marked by a scathing state audit and dissatisfaction from lawmakers. Hendrick says she's worked to turn the agency around by changing up the leadership structure, refining hiring and retention practices and modernizing agency facilities that hold incarcerated youths.