By MEAD GRUVER
The Associated Press
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The American Civil Liberties Union said it’s concerned about conditions in Wyoming’s two privately run juvenile detention centers and would like to hear from youth who’ve spent time in the jails.
The ACLU’s interest follows state investigations of alleged neglect at the Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Casper and of safety concerns at the Jeffrey C. Wardle Academy in Cheyenne.
“At both of these facilities, there didn’t seem to be the kind of safety that needed to be provided for juveniles,” said Linda Burt, executive director of the ACLU in Wyoming. “That’s a huge concern.”
Wyoming Department of Family Services officials said last week they’ve been looking into why staff at the Natrona County facility didn’t immediately report alleged recent incidents including an assault between two boys.
The Department of Family Services investigated the Cheyenne facility last summer, saying youths there had sex with one another and access to drugs.
Department of Family Services spokeswoman Juliette Rule said the ACLU’s interest in the facilities didn’t surprise her.
“It’s a disturbing situation and we too are concerned about it,” Rule said.
Cheyenne-based Frontier Correctional Systems has been running both centers. Cornerstone Programs Corp., a company based in Centennial, Colo., last month began a three-month process of taking over the facilities. State officials say the alleged incidents happened before the takeover began.
Burt said she hoped that people who’ve been in the facilities could offer a clearer picture of staffing, discipline, education and medical treatment.
She pointed out that the Casper facility used to be Natrona County’s adult jail until the late 1990s. After the ACLU filed suit because of overcrowding, the county built a new jail and began using the old jail to house juveniles _ a solution that was supposed to be temporary but has lasted more than a decade.
“Why was a facility that was not deemed acceptable for adults given to kids? What sense does that make?” Burt said.
Burt didn’t rule out filing suit again, depending on circumstances.
“Our idea initially is always to work things out in the best way we can prior to considering litigation. But for the ACLU, that is always an option,” she said.
Natrona County Sheriff Mark Benton did not return a phone message seeking comment Wednesday. A receptionist at the Wardle Academy said she didn’t know how to reach Frontier Correctional Systems CEO John Harrison and declined to take a message.
Rule said Wednesday that conditions at the Wardle Academy have improved. She credited the department’s focus on that facility since last summer as well as Cornerstone’s takeover.
“It’s a different picture; it’s a different operation now,” Rule said.