Juveniles

been dogged for the past four years by a string of high-profile controversies ranging from violence to poor conditions to unexpectedly high rates of self-reported sexual assault.

But it was Vana’s surprise inspection in April that turned up the heat. Vana said several teenagers were wearing socks “with more holes than sock.” Shoes were falling apart. There were not enough school desks. Some toilets weren’t working. Clogged sinks left some teenagers brushing their teeth in the janitor’s closet, which did have a working sink.

Teens said they were hungry and Vana found the approved snack — peanut butter on bread with a glass of water — to be far too skimpy.

Further, the facility near the South Florida Fairgrounds west of West Palm Beach has been the site of violence involving staffers. In the past eight months, two were charged with child neglect after arranging a brutal fight between teenagers. One of the teens sustained a “possible fractured eye socket and a fractured nose,” according to investigators.

In another case, state investigators concluded one employee threw a chair at a teenager and chased him until other workers intervened.

In May, Daly asked FDLE to investigate conditions. Despite the request, D JJ has largely defended the company, which holds multiple D JJ contracts statewide to house and treat juvenile offenders.

More staff had been added, Daly pointed out. Repairs were undertaken. New footwear and socks were immediately provided. A new administrator seemed committed to change. But reports of troubles continued.

Last month, state investigators released a report detailing a February incident in which a staffer repeatedly slugged a teenager. Also in July, one teenager hurt another so badly that he had to have surgery for a broken jaw.

This month, Daly, appearing before the Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission, told Vana she would not replace YSI. Despite what she characterized as “serious challenges at the program here,” Daly praised the company’s progress, saying, “Changing culture takes time.”

But the county wasn’t alone in criticizing YSI. In an Aug. 7 letter to Daly, U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings, Lois Frankel, Ted Deutch and Patrick Murphy urged her to suspend operations until the FDLE investigation could wind up.

“Questions surrounding YSI’s competence to manage youth facilities statewide are not new,” the delegation pointed out, including D JJ’s 2014 cancellation of YSI’s contract to run the Santa Rosa Substance Abuse Treatment Center.

YSI still holds multiple contracts with the state to house and treat juvenile offenders, and the decision to cut short the local contract is not expected to affect that.

In fact, “YSI will continue to provide services until a new provider is selected,” a process D JJ will start immediately, said Daly in her statement.

Until a new deal is done, however, “Youth will no longer be admitted to the program.”