Audit finds systematic problems at District’s New Beginnings Youth Development Center; findings represent the latest chapter in DC’s troubled juvenile justice system
LAUREL, Md. — An independent oversight report has documented systematic failures in behavioral health services at the District’s New Beginnings Youth Development Center, adding to mounting concerns about the troubled Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.
The report, released Oct. 27 by the Office of Independent Juvenile Justice Facilities Oversight, found widespread deficiencies in mental health screenings, treatment planning, and suicide prevention protocols at the 60-bed secure facility in Laurel.
The findings represent the latest chapter in a troubled juvenile justice system that has faced years of scrutiny from judges, attorneys, and District lawmakers who say the agency is failing court-involved youth.
According to the report, behavioral health staff at New Beginnings failed to conduct required substance abuse screenings for 80% of the youth reviewed. In cases where screenings were completed, staff often failed to follow up with proper assessments and treatment services.
The report also found significant gaps in psychiatric evaluations and treatment planning. Many youth did not receive individualized behavioral health treatment plans despite documented mental health needs, with some plans lacking specific treatment goals or measurable outcomes.
“The lack of timely and comprehensive behavioral health assessments means youth are not receiving the services they desperately need,” the report states.
Perhaps most alarming were findings related to suicide prevention. The oversight office documented multiple instances where staff failed to follow required protocols for youth on suicide precaution status, including inadequate daily assessments by behavioral health professionals and improper documentation.
The report examined records for youth placed on suicide precaution status and found inconsistent monitoring and inadequate crisis management plans. In some cases, behavioral health staff did not communicate changes in a youth’s suicide precaution level to direct care staff through required face-to-face encounters.
Office of Independent Juvenile Justice Facilities Oversight Executive Director Mark Jordan says the impact is significant.
“If the behavioral health problems are not identified and treated, it becomes harder for them to change those behaviors once they go back to the community,” Jordan explained. “By the time a youth makes it into New Beginnings, they’ve had a very, almost uniformly, very challenging life. And there is so much trauma there.”
DYRS has faced increasing pressure in recent months to reform its operations. In June, The Washington Post reported that teenagers in need of psychiatric care were languishing for months at the Youth Services Center, the District’s detention facility, because DYRS failed to place them in appropriate treatment programs.
WUSA9 has extensively documented problems at DYRS facilities. In one report, a mother described her frustration after her 15-year-old son, who was ordered by a judge to be placed in a psychiatric residential treatment facility, waited months for transfer while remaining in juvenile detention.
“It’s just so frustrating,” the mother told WUSA9. “They have to do better.”
The station also reported on youth violence trends and recidivism concerns. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has cited data from a 2022 Criminal Justice Coordinating Council showing nearly 50% of youth committed to DYRS are subsequently convicted of committing additional criminal offenses either while in the agency’s care or within a few years of release.
DYRS Director Sam Abed has disputed how recidivism is calculated and has pushed back against proposed reforms, including legislation that would require treatment plans within 30 days of commitment rather than the current 90-day timeline.
In testimony before the DC Council, Abed said meeting a 30-day deadline would require additional staff and argued some cases would inevitably take longer.
“I know for a fact that there will be tough-to-place youth that will exceed 30 days every time,” Abed testified.
New Beginnings opened in 2009 to replace the notorious Oak Hill Youth Center, which was the subject of litigation over poor conditions. The facility was designed following the Missouri Model, which emphasizes rehabilitation over punishment and provides individualized programming in homelike settings.
But the latest oversight report suggests the facility is falling short of its rehabilitation mission.
The report’s findings focused on three main areas: screenings and assessments, treatment plan development and services, and acute or emergency services. Across all three areas, the oversight office identified significant compliance failures with established policies and best practices.
For substance abuse services, the report found that even when youth had documented substance use histories, many did not receive appropriate screening or treatment. The failure to properly assess and address substance abuse issues could undermine rehabilitation efforts and increase recidivism risk.
The oversight office made numerous recommendations, including requiring the timely completion of all screenings and assessments, ensuring treatment plans contain specific interventions tied to identified needs, and improving documentation and monitoring of youth on suicide precaution status.
The report was conducted by Dr. Terry Lee, a behavioral health expert retained by the oversight office. The assessment included file reviews and examination of compliance with policies outlined in previous reform agreements.
The DC Council passed the Recidivism Reduction at DYRS Amendment Act in December 2024, which permanently assigned oversight functions to the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor. The legislation also created additional monitoring requirements, though full implementation depends on appropriations that had not been approved as of Sept. 30.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has defended DYRS, telling WUSA9 in May that it is “a fantastic agency” and calling for focus on ensuring adequate staffing and secure detention for youth who require it. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, however, has pushed for more aggressive reforms, including the creation of a psychiatric residential treatment facility within the District to reduce placement delays.
“They’ve got a very hard job,” Jordan said of DYRS. “But when we look at the results at this point, a lot of youth are leaving and they’re coming back to the system.”
WUSA9 has reached out to DYRS, Mayor Bowser, and is waiting for comment.