Virginia juvenile justice staff vacancies pose challenges

But no programs or services have been discontinued because of those vacancies, DJJ public information officer Melodie Martin said.

The number of cases coming into the juvenile justice system is down from pre-pandemic levels, which helps, she said. The number of youth held in a correctional center has declined from an average of 599 in fiscal year 2014, before the department launched a sweeping transformation program that shuttered several facilities, to 195 in 2022. On top of that, the number in alternative placements dropped from 591 to 106.

“Given the reduced caseloads, staff vacancies in our court service units did not impact the ability to deliver intake, probation and parole services,” she said.

The empty slots remain even after a 54% cut in the number of funded direct care positions, reflecting the declining number of youth in the system. DJJ currently has 1,665 funded positions, with 647 in direct care — that is, working with residents of the correctional center at Bon Air, and 794 at its 30 court service units.

The rest handle DJJ audits and certifications for 24 juvenile detention cents, eight community placement programs, nine re-entry programs and 14 group homes, shelters and independent living programs, as well as DJJ’s own operations and administration of the agency.

Retention of staff is a struggle, especially for probation officers and officers responsible for security at Bon Air, the department said in a report to the General Assembly.

Some 17% of staff turned over just over the course of fiscal year 2022. More than 41% of staff leave within five years of joining the agency.

Low pay and modest benefits, as well as staff concerns about career progression, are challenges to retention.

Adding to pressures on staff, DJJ’s ongoing transformation effort, which has seen the closing of four correctional centers and two halfway houses within the past decade, has generated stress.

As many worry about layoffs or the possibility of relocation, they’ve also had to adapt to new approaches to their work, aiming at a more individualized approach to the youth and a heavier emphasis on rehabilitation and counseling.

“These types of transformation, while necessary, can wear thin an already weary and overtaxed staff,” the report said.

One result of the transformation effort, meanwhile, is a decline in the percentage of youth in the system who are rearrested for later offenses. This rate declined from 25.1% in 2014 to 17.8% in 2021, the latest year for which data are available.

Recent transformation efforts include an on-site vocational center at Bon Air that will offer hands-on instruction and training in the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC fields.

DJJ also has launched a new victim notification and assistance process to make sure victims are informed when serious offenders are released.

In addition, it is launching a new gang prevention effort, with certified regional gang investigators, probation officers and staff from Bon Air, the Central Admissions and Placement unit, DJJ Department of Education, and Community Placement Programs, working to identify individuals who exhibit gang-like behavior and share that information with law enforcement, local prosecutors, and community leaders for targeted intervention and prevention.