According to the lawsuit, information Plaintiffs’ counsel obtained between June 16 and June 27, alleges there have been over 40 such charges brought against IYC Harrisburg youth for incidents from January 2016 through March 2017.

Those 40-plus charges, which sometimes charge the same young people more than once, resulted in some youth who had turned 18 years-old being sentenced to multiple years in the adult correctional system, the news release said.

Typically, DJJ internal discipline, not prosecution in the criminal justice system, addresses all but the most serious infractions. Harrisburg is currently the only place where these sort of routine prosecutions take place the news release said.

Camille Bennett, a lawyer with the ACLU representing the youth detained by DJJ said “Ending extended, isolated confinement was a critical step in fixing what is wrong with DJJ — but the Saline County State’s Attorney and a group of staff believe they know better than court-appointed experts and the court itself. This must be fixed.”