Between October 2023 and February 2024, juvenile CO vacancies increased from 15% to 39%; of the 118 officers hired in 2023, 79% had left by August of 2024
By Ted Clifford The State – December 19, 2024
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A report from a state oversight agency has laid bare the ongoing challenges at the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice as the agency has struggled to turn itself around following a series of scathing audits. The report, conducted by the Legislative Audit Council, an independent body of the state General Assembly, was released earlier in December. It was a follow-up to a 2021 audit that found significant failures that threatened the safety and well-being of children and staff.
Of the 101 recommendations made in 2021, just over half have been implemented, according to the audit . . . It is a significant setback for the agency that has attempted to turn itself around under new leadership while struggling against old problems of underfunding, overcrowding, lack of staff and a Raise the Age law, which has increased demands placed on the agency by raising the age of juvenile offenders from 17 to 18.
Audit of S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice shows agency at ‘breaking point’