State says cuts put staff, residents at risk
By PAUL BRUBAKER
Herald News, North Jersey Media Group
PASSAIC COUNTY, N.J. — State officials say the Passaic County juvenile detention center’s staffing is far below required levels, even after the county rehired five officers it had cut from the center’s payroll this year.
The state ordered the county to restore at least 20 officers’ jobs, arguing that deep staff cuts put the center’s staff and residents at risk, and incur skyrocketing overtime costs. It’s not clear whether county officials knew of the state staffing mandate before jobs were cut to help close a budget gap.
The New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission has monitored the Passaic County Youth Reception and Rehabilitation Center in Haledon since layoffs began in December. By March, a total of 38 officers’ jobs were cut.
The commission’s Manual of Standards requires one officer to eight juveniles during the day. The ratio changes at night to one officer to 16 juveniles.
In a May 27 letter to County Administrator Anthony De Nova, Lisa Macaluso, a commission official, said the center’s ratios during March were as high as 1-to-13 during the day, and 1-to-25 at night. The findings were based on monitors’ visits to the center on March 19, March 28 and April 1.
“Critically low staff levels create an extremely dangerous environment,” Macaluso said. “The detention center simply does not have enough staff to quickly and safely respond to serious incidents.”
Detention officers were laid off as part of staff reductions aimed at cutting $20.6 million from the 2008 budget. The savings were needed to comply with the state’s 4 percent limit on this year’s tax increase.
County officials on Friday did not explain how staff reduction decisions were made in order to save those dollars.
John Givens, the center’s director, referred questions to De Nova.
De Nova, through spokesman Keith Furlong, declined to comment on Friday because he didn’t want state officials reading the county’s response to the letter in a newspaper.
“We’re in receipt of the letter,” said Furlong, adding that De Nova was in “constant contact” with the Juvenile Justice Commission. “We understand the concerns and we will respond appropriately.”
A total of 52 juveniles were held at the center on Friday, Furlong said. The center, which has a capacity for 86 residents, had a peak count of 94 earlier this year.
Overtime costs have continued to escalate as officers have been compelled to work double shifts to make up for some of the staffing shortfalls.
The county paid about $88,000 in overtime to the center from March 22 to April 4, according to county records. Macaluso stated that the county paid one-third of that amount during the same period in 2007.
The situation was exacerbated by the center’s April 8 policy change of ordering officers to work double shifts four days in a row if necessary.
“A policy that expands management’s reliance on overtime to staff is a dangerous practice,” Macaluso said.
Mario Rivera, the local leader of the detention officers’ union, did not return a phone call seeking comment on Friday.
The county must provide a plan to come into compliance with the state’s regulations within the next two weeks.
Sharon Lauchaire, Juvenile Justice Commission spokeswoman, said the state could take action if the county failed to comply.
“The JJC does have the authority to regulate admissions to the center,” she said. “We’re still in the process of working with Passaic County to find a remedy to ensure the safety of the facility.”
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