June 24, 2024
The executive director of the Alabama Department of Youth Services (DYS) Friday laid out potential changes to the department operations that he said reflected the changing needs of the population they serve.
Steven Lafreniere said at a meeting that the department, which administers juvenile justice and services, needed to accommodate longer-term stays of the children coming to the department.
“We’re getting in more serious kids, I would say or high risk kids that have more health, behavioral health needs as well as mental health needs,” he said. . . . Lafreniere said that the situation was aggravated due to issues around staffing and described it as a “perfect storm.”
https://alabamareflector.com/2024/06/24/department-of-youth-services-trying-to-right-size-programs-to-shifting-populations