Latest news with #DYRS
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Unanswered questions in an attack on trans youth
This is the kind of story that falls between the cracks because those involved don't much matter to the powers that be. Fortunately, however, WRC (Channel 4) investigative reporter Ted Oberg caught wind of a July 7 attack on a transgender girl housed in a boy's unit at D.C.'s Youth Services Center and put it on the air. The girl's jaw was broken in the assault. Unfortunately, as with so many other isolated and shameful tales in our town, it then got overtaken by other events, such as the Washington Commanders sweetheart stadium deal with the city and the election of the federally indicted, D.C. Council-ejected Trayon White Sr. to the Ward 8 seat he held till February. Still, I can't let go of the story. The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services is where troubled youths are placed to focus on rehabilitation and personal growth, not to have to desperately seek ways to avoid being attacked. So I followed up with the juvenile justice system. My queries weren't all that complicated. I didn't seek confidential youth information or the identities of any DYRS detainees or youths under custody. I simply sought the result of the DYRS review of the attack, and the circumstances and steps, if any, being taken to avoid a recurrence. I also wanted to know what factors or even internal protocols could have contributed to the attack. There's good reason to ask. An executive order from President Donald Trump has essentially canceled the transgender community, by stating that federal agencies will no longer recognize transgender identities. Does DYRS prevent transgender youth from being housed in single-sex spaces that don't match their assigned sex at birth? What is the current status of the transgender youth who was attacked? Is she still in DYRS custody? If so, how is she being housed and treated? Oberg had reported that five teenagers were charged with assault in the attack, according to his sources. If so, where are the accused youths now housed? All the questions I submitted were answerable. Answers that the public has a right to know, and juvenile justice players — agencies, judges, mayor and council — need to know, if there's to be any justice in the system. In response to my inquires, DYRS public information officer Turnesha Fish stated by email Friday afternoon that '4 youths [not five] were charged as a result of the MPD investigation' and 'the DYRS investigation is ongoing.' What's left to be discovered, Fish failed to say. Fish noted that 'the youth involved have been separated and reassigned to different housing units. All placements align with our policy guidelines.' She did offer the following eyebrow-raising tidbit: 'The judge previously ordered DYRS to ensure the youth is placed appropriately at YSC [Youth Services Center] considering her gender identification. The youth was initially placed in the girls' unit and later transferred to the boys' unit following an incident.' No further explanation was offered. Was the judge informed of the incident or DYRS's decision to change the placement to the boys' unit? In a statement provided by Fish, DYRS director Sam Abed affirmed his commitment to children's safety, and added that 'these incidents do not reflect the values or standard of care we aim to uphold.' And Fish concluded, 'This is an active investigation, and we are carefully reviewing our existing protocols to implement any necessary measures to prevent incidents within our facilities and ensure the long-term safety and security of our staff and residents.' Only a judge, or perhaps a concerned mayor or council, can get beyond the bureaucratic bromides to determine what actually goes on with vulnerable youth entrusted to the city's care.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
5 charged in assault that left a transgender girl with a broken jaw in D.C. juvenile detention center
A transgender girl housed in a male unit at Washington, D.C.'s Youth Services Center was hospitalized with a broken jaw after a fight last week that also injured another teen, D.C.'s NBC affiliate WRC reports. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. The two separate fights broke out on July 7 at the Northeast D.C. juvenile detention facility, which was overcapacity by 17 people that day and remains so as of Monday, according to government data. Five teens have been charged in connection with the assault involving the transgender girl, the station reports. Related: Trump will ban trans women from women's prisons by removing trans inmates from rape protections The Youth Services Center is the District's secure detention facility for male and female youth held by court order from the D.C. Superior Court's Family Court Division. The 88-bed facility provides 24-hour care, custody, and supervision, housing youth awaiting court proceedings, those adjudicated, and those pending further court action, as well as youth charged as adults, according to the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. It remains unclear whether DYRS has a policy for housing transgender youth in juvenile detention. The Advocate has contacted DYRS, the office of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and the office of Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah for comment. This story is developing. This article originally appeared on Advocate: 5 charged in assault that left a transgender girl with a broken jaw in D.C. juvenile detention center Trump will ban trans women from women's prisons by removing trans inmates from rape protections
Washington Post
24-06-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
In scorching heat, D.C. detention center scrambles to fix air conditioning
Officials at the District's juvenile detention center were scrambling Tuesday to repair the building's air conditioning while about 100 confined young people and several dozen staff members struggled to endure this week's heat wave, according to the city agency that runs the facility. The agency, the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, was working with the city's Department of General Services to 'return the air conditioning system to full capacity' to protect the health and safety of the building's occupants, the DYRS director, Sam Abed, said in message to staff members at the facility, called the D.C. Youth Services Center.
Washington Post
21-05-2025
- Washington Post
Teens who fled youth detention were involved in D.C. shooting, police say
Three teenagers who absconded from a youth detention center in Pennsylvania on Sunday were involved in an armed robbery and nonfatal shooting with a rifle in D.C. shortly after arriving in the city in a stolen SUV, police said. One of the teens, 17-year-old Daijon Bourn, was arrested and charged as an adult with robbery and other crimes. Police were still looking for the two other juveniles Tuesday. Authorities said the three had been in the custody of the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, or DYRS, and confined to the Clock Tower School, a contracted facility in Pennsylvania from which the fled. It was unclear what offenses led to their being committed to the school, in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles west of Philadelphia. Criminal proceedings involving juveniles are generally confidential by law. Officials at the school did not respond to requests for comment. At his initial hearing Tuesday in D.C. Superior Court, Bourn's lawyer argued that there was no evidence her client was involved in the robbery and that no money or weapon was found on him when he was arrested. On Sunday, after fleeing the school, police said, the teens stole a red Land Rover and drove back to Washington, where they were joined by two other people. Police said all five took part in the robbery and shooting of a man just before 11 p.m. in the 700 block of 8th Street NE. The victim told police about the red SUV. Police used a helicopter in their search of the neighborhood and saw the SUV traveling east in the 1100 block of H Street NE. After the five bailed out of the vehicle and ran off, two of them returned and drove away, police said. Minutes later, police stopped the SUV as it traveled on Alabama Avenue SE and arrested one adult, 19-year-old Jamal Hawkins, along with Bourn. Hawkins was also charged with armed robbery and illegal possession of an AR-15 rifle. Magistrate Judge Heide Herrmann ordered Bourn and Hawkins jailed until their next hearing, scheduled for Friday.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police: Teens run away from Pa. DYRS facility, steal SUV involved in subsequent shooting, robbery, police chase
WASHINGTON () — Police in the District said multiple teenage boys who had run away from a Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) facility in Pennsylvania over the weekend were involved in a subsequent carjacking, shooting and police chase. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was first notified that three boys had absconded from a DYRS facility in Pennsylvania on Sunday evening and then reportedly stole a red 2016 Land Rover SUV with Pennsylvania plates. MPD placed a lookout for the stolen vehicle and the suspects across all of the department's districts. Bowie man accused of killing his elderly mother, injuring woman Then, minutes after 10:45 p.m., officers were called to a shooting in the 700 block of 8th Street NE, where a man said he'd been shot and robbed. The suspects were reported to be in a red SUV. The man was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. License Plate Reader (LPR) data from the Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) confirmed that the same car believed to be stolen by the DYRS runaways was involved in the robbery and shooting. A short time later, MPD said an officer saw the SUV fleeing toward the RFK Stadium site. MPD's helicopter quickly found the vehicle and placed it under aerial surveillance. During that time, five suspects bailed out of the SUV and fled on foot. Two of them re-entered the car, however, and drove off. Sinkhole, water main break prompts road closures in Southeast DC Officers were able to find one of the remaining suspects and found an AR-15-style gun nearby. Another officer spotted the red SUV at around 11:15 p.m. At the time, it was traveling on Alabama Avenue SE. Since it was involved in the earlier crime, the officer initiated a pursuit, following it until it stopped near Minnesota Avenue and T Street SE. There, MPD said the two suspects were taken into custody. The three suspects were charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Gun), Robbery and related firearm offenses. Metro tests new system to make train travel more convenient One of the three suspects arrested was a DYRS absconder. The two other teenage boys are still being searched for, police noted. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact MPD at (202) 727-9099 or to text the department's tip line at 50411. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
