Colorado state officials say division of youth services to see massive changes
While touring the Marvin Foote Youth Services Center, Colorado state officials described the efforts behind massive changes being made to operations across juvenile detention facilities statewide.
"We are really looking holistically at our youth centers, our door control, our key control, really everything, to make sure our facilities are working with the population we're seeing come through our doors today," said Alex Stojislavjevic, director of the Division of Youth Services.
Stojislavjevic says the system is serving a more violent population than in years past.
"From 10 years ago, there has been almost a 300% increase in youth charged with either manslaughter or homicide, so we are seeing more youth coming into our system with more violent and aggressive charges," he said.
He says technology will be central to addressing challenges.
Body‑worn cameras are already being tested at two facilities as part of a three‑year pilot program.
"Our youth, when they make an allegation that staff was disrespectful or maybe made inappropriate comments, before, we were totally reliant on static cameras that don't have audio," Stojislavjevic said.
The body-worn cameras have been operating for roughly three months.
"We can turn this on, and it's in buffering mode 100% of the time," one state official said.
Those overseeing the program say it has already improved transparency and efficiency.
"Prior to body‑worn cameras, at least in these two sites, investigations were heavy, and it was really difficult to go through and find out who was right and who was wrong," that official said.
The department says they're also planning a shift to an electronic grievance system. Currently, complaints are handled on paper.
"We want to see the pattern. Was this a one‑time thing or was this ongoing?" said Erin Wester, deputy executive director of Residential and Reintegration Services. "With paper forms, it's really hard to flip through and understand those patterns."
All of this comes as the Division of Youth Services faces increased scrutiny over transparency and youth safety.
Last month, Disability Law Colorado released a report examining conditions inside youth detention facilities.
CBS News Colorado also spoke with a parent who asked to remain anonymous about their child, who is currently detained.
"These are children, and most children that come out of the Division of Youth Services come home more broken, more traumatized and more violent than when they went in," the parent said back in March.
When asked to respond to those concerns, Stojislavjevic called on parents and community members to share their experiences.
"We are going through a massive change right now to make sure we are providing the best care, treatment and education services for our youth," he said. "Everybody absolutely has a seat at this table."
