St. Charles Youth Center Employees Protest Unsafe Conditions

ST. CHARLES, IL -- Employees at the state-owned Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles are standing up against, what they say, are unsafe conditions at the medium-security facility, the Daily Herald reports. Dozens of employees picketed outside the youth center along Route 38 on Monday. Those with AFSCME Local 416, the union representing workers at the youth center, said there needs to be stiffer punishments for juvenile detainees who attack staffers and each other, as well as improved staffing levels, better training for employees and the enacting of policies that safeguard against future violence, according to the Daily Herald.

Among those protesting on Monday was Maria Johnston Becker, a teacher at the facility, who has twice been assaulted by detainees this year. Most recently, in June, she was punched several times in the face until she fell, hit her head and was knocked unconscious, according to the article. She is still suffering from swelling and pain in her head and neck and headaches and hasn't returned to work.

Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice spokesman Mike Theodore told the Daily Herald hiring has increased and "now exceeds federal staffing standards at all facilities."

"The department is deeply committed to improving the safety and climate of our facilities while providing constitutionally required, effective programming," Theodore told the Daily Herald. "To accomplish these goals, we have and will continue to focus on hiring, training, and minimizing the use of solitary confinement and excessive physical force to manage youth behavior."

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