Tommy Blog Share Your Thoughts on Oak Hill | Share Your Thoughts on Oak Hill |
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| Written by Ram Uppuluri | |
| Thursday, 17 May 2007 | |
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Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher took a swipe this morning at Sen. Ben Cardin for holding up the Fenty Administration's school reform effort and blocking progress at the Oak Hill juvenile detention facility because he wants the land it sits on to be given back to Maryland. The federal government granted control of the 880-acres in Anne Arundel County where Oak Hill is situated to the Disrict of Columbia in 1923. The Oak Hill facility itself takes up 25 acres of that land, and the DC Government is on the verge of breaking ground on a new juvenile detention facility adjacent to the old one that will completely modernize the District's juvenile detention system. The new facility will be smaller and more oriented toward rehabilitation than the old correctional model. Now Senator Cardin evidently wants those efforts stopped dead in their tracks, or moved to some unspecified location back in the District. We would like to know how you feel about Senator Cardin's priorities. Let our staff on the Human Services Committee know how you feel. Leave your comments on our blog, or send us an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Tommy will collect the comments and pass them along to Senator Cardin's office. Readers have left 4 comments. (1) Untitled 2007-05-17 18:02:05 The Justice 4 DC Youth! Coalition (JDCY) has been calling for the closure of the Oak Hill Youth Center for 6 years. JDCY urged the DC Council and the Mayor to replace Oak Hill with more effective alternatives to incarceration for the majority of youth who do not pose a risk to public safety. For the very small percentage of youth who may need secure confinement, JDCY urged DC Council and the Mayor to build a small, homelike facility based on the best practises in the country and to utilize this new facility as a state of the art treatment and rehabilitation center for youth. Hundreds of DC residents supported this approach and testified at DC Council hearings and as a result, the DC Council unanimously adopted comprehensive reform legislation and the bill was signed into law by the Mayor. By contrast, the Maryland juvenile justice system is in utter chaos, as stories of abuse and harm of children in Maryland's youth facilities are profiled in the Baltimore Sun almost weekly. Why doesn't Senator Cardin focus on trying to help the youth in his own backyard instead of trying to disrupt DC's efforts? (2) Untitled 2007-05-17 18:13:52 I think it's disgusting that Senator Cardin would hold up Mayor Fenty's school reform to score political points with his constituents in suburban Maryland. Plus, Senator Cardin has no right to take ALL of the land that Oak Hill currently sits on. Oak Hill only needs about 30 or 40 acres out of the 800 total acres. Senator Cardin is putting politics before the young people of our nations capital, and I am extremely upset about it. Sincerely, James Pearlstein Resident, Ward 1 Washington, DC (3) Untitled 2007-05-18 15:43:00 Senator Cardin issued a press release on this subject today. AGREEMENT ON OAK HILL PROPERTY REACHED Friday, May 18, 2007 Susan Sullam: 410-960-2440 WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Mayor Adrian Fenty today reached agreement concerning the Oak Hill property. The District will continue to exercise its claim to construct a new juvenile justice facility on approximately 40 acres of land at the Oak Hill site south of the Little Patuxent River. Senator Cardin will continue to pursue moving the site of the juvenile detention center to the District of Columbia and reserves all his options. The District will cooperate with the federal government, the State of Maryland, Anne Arundel County and Members of Congress concerning the division of the remaining acreage. Also, the Baltimore Sun has a story. Here's a link to their article on Oak Hill and Senator Cardin: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Written by Ram Y. Uppuluri (Author) (4) Untitled 2007-05-18 15:52:26 Senator Cardin issued a press release on this subject today. AGREEMENT ON OAK HILL PROPERTY REACHED Friday, May 18, 2007 Susan Sullam: 410-960-2440 WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Mayor Adrian Fenty today reached agreement concerning the Oak Hill property. The District will continue to exercise its claim to construct a new juvenile justice facility on approximately 40 acres of land at the Oak Hill site south of the Little Patuxent River. Senator Cardin will continue to pursue moving the site of the juvenile detention center to the District of Columbia and reserves all his options. The District will cooperate with the federal government, the State of Maryland, Anne Arundel County and Members of Congress concerning the division of the remaining acreage. Written by Ram Y. Uppuluri (Author) |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 May 2007 ) |
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