PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania grand jury investigating conditions inside Delaware County’s youth detention facility — which was emptied in March 2021 after allegations of rampant abuse were raised — has found systemic problems and a “dangerous absence of oversight” enabled violence, sexual abuse and other maltreatment.
The grand jury report, released Tuesday by the state attorney general’s office, did not recommend criminal charges for any former staff at the 66-bed Delaware County Juvenile Justice Center in Lima, citing statutes of limitations and a lack of admissible evidence.
But it proposed a series of legislative and policy safeguards including state laws requiring each county detention center to have a board of managers, and increasing transparency and accountability around abuse allegations.
