Abuse at youth facility alleged

Kim Smith

Monday, July 23, 2001 | 11:22 a.m.

Allegations of sexual misconduct and drug abuse at the Summit View Youth Correctional Facility were aired this morning during a hearing to determine whether 13 juvenile offenders charged in a June 1 uprising should be tried as adults.

Depositions from two former Summit View employees, filed Thursday, detail the allegations and represent sufficient reason for more investigation, attorneys William "Lew" Wolfbrandt and J.D. Evans said.

But sex and drugs aren't the worst problems at the privately run facility, the attorneys said. The No. 1 problem, they said, is a lack of a consistent rehabilitation program. The kids who rebelled didn't believe they were working toward something meaningful and had no hope of ever getting out, Wolfbrandt and Evans said.

Three attorneys, Wolfbrandt, Evans and James Guesman, represent three of the 20 youths who were involved in the June incident. The boys are charged with storming to the roof of the North Las Vegas facility and committing more than $12,000 worth of vandalism before surrendering to Metro Police about three hours later.

They face malicious destruction of property and escape charges.

Wolfbrandt today asked Family Court Judge Cynthia Dianne Steel to postpone further proceedings against the 13 boys until a more thorough investigation of the facility can be conducted.

The Summit View Youth Correctional Facility is a 96-bed, for-profit detention center for juvenile boys who have been sentenced to jail terms by Family Court judges. The year-old facility is operated by Sarasota, Fla.-based Youth Services International.

The depositions by Sandra Houston, 51, a former substance abuse counselor at Summit View, and Patricia Dunham, who also worked with youths at the facility, allege that young women who worked at the facility had sex with the boys and male employees.

Houston also alleges that there were at least two incidents in which drugs and alcohol were shared by staff and inmates. One of the incidents involved a party within the facility and the other involved a party at a local park attended by recently released inmates, she wrote.

Houston and Dunham allege the facility not only lacked consistent programs, but did little to discourage the sexual misconduct and drug and alcohol abuse.

In her 119-page deposition, Houston said the boys in the facility were aware that certain members of the staff were engaging in sexual activities with each other and with some of the inmates.

Houston alleges one staff member was impregnated by a teenage inmate, another continued her relationship with a boy after he was released and a third was sent to an inmate's cell to appease him whenever he acted up.

"A lot of the other residents became very frustrated, you know, when they get mad," Houston said. "They said 'I don't have my woman down here.' And they would throw out little things you know. So it was not a secret at all. It was not a secret."

Dunham, too, said she heard about the youth worker becoming pregnant. She was also approached by an inmate who complained that he was being kept awake at night by "things that were going on" near his room.

The boy declined to tell any supervisors because he was afraid of retribution, Dunham said.

Four or five inmates possessed alcohol and marijuana during a July 4, 2000, party inside the facility, Houston said. She said she had heard that the marijuana was brought in by staff members. The four or five inmates, she said, were locked into their cells for a time as a consequence of the party.

Also, she said, two former inmates reportedly participated in another drug and alcohol party with employees outside the institution around April.

Many of the employees hired by Summit View are inexperienced 22- and 23-year-old women just a few years older than the residents, Houston alleges.

"None of that information has been provided to me," said Jason MacIntyre, Summit View's facility administrator since mid-June. "If any of those allegations had been brought to me, I would certainly investigate those thoroughly. His appointment was not a result of the uprising.

But MacIntyre questioned the motives of the two former employees. "We take any and all allegations very seriously," he said, "but if these allegations are coming from former disgruntled employees, there's obviously something else going on besides them identifying problems within the facility."

Wolfbrandt said that even if the allegations cannot be substantiated, the boys who participated in the uprising June 1 did so because they believed them to be true.

Wolfbrandt told Steel he wanted to look at internal, Metro Police, Department of Child and Family Services and Youth Probation Department documents.

Houston and Dunham claim many of the boys were upset by the lack of consistency within the facility.

Lawyers and parents involved in the case have criticized the rehabilitation programs within the facility. They say that some programs were changed in midcourse, requiring boys to start over. They also say that boys who already had their high school diplomas or equivalents had nothing to do but menial work.

Spanish-speaking students were also not provided materials in their language, and the staff received no instructions on how to deal with them, Houston said.

The boys' frustration levels mounted because they never knew when they would be released. The boys were sentenced to the facility by Family Court, which said they could be kept there until they were 21. Some were released within months of arrival, but most were given no indication of their release dates, according to the attorneys, Dunham and Houston.

MacIntyre defended the programs, saying enhancements have been made throughout the year.

He said he believes the uprising was because of the enhancements. Incarcerated teens, he said, "didn't appreciate rules and authority."

"Our mission and philosophy is to provide a safe, secure environment and programming that is more than adequate for our residents, and even though I've been here a short time, there are a lot of good things happening here."

Houston said she became so concerned about the tensions building up at Summit View that she began "phasing" herself out by accepting a lower-paying job within the facility.

"We got to the point where we really started to feel not safe," Houston said. "Not that we thought they would hurt us, but we didn't want to be in a situation where we had to rescue somebody else who was creating this atmosphere."

Houston eventually resigned.

Dunham, in her deposition, alleges staff members were constantly moved from area to area within the facility and their shifts often changed.

As a result, the inmates never dealt with the same people and were often given conflicting rules concerning their behavior and what they were allowed to have in their rooms, Dunham said.

Dunham called the situation "chaotic."

Evans said he hopes Steel is as outraged by the depositions as he is.

"Based on the statements, it's my assumption this is just the tip of the iceberg," Evans said. "If we're allowed to conduct additional discovery, I think we'll find other witnesses who are willing to come forward to substantiate these allegations and uncover other problems."

Chief Deputy District Attorney Robert Teuton said it is his understanding that a high superintendent turnover rate at the facility is the direct result of state officials complaining about unsatisfactory conditions at the facility.

"The state has a contract with Youth Services International, and it's my understanding that the state has been exercising its prerogative under the contract to enhance the programs."

Teuton said he received deposition transcriptions on Friday, but has yet to read them.

"It's difficult for me to make a judgment," Teuton said. "The allegations may be true or they may not be true."

Even if the allegations are true, Teuton said he isn't inclined to dismiss the charges against the boys. The judge, however, might be more inclined to keep them in the juvenile system, he said.

Teuton said the facility was built after 11 juveniles escaped from an overcrowded state-run facility near Elko and engaged in a crime spree. There was also a need for a facility that could house chronic offenders who are obviously in need of a longer term rehabilitation program.

State-run facilities near Elko and Caliente offer eight- to 10-month programs, Teuton said. The minimum sentence at Summit View is supposed to be one year.

"It's clear we need a facility like Summit View, but if the allegations are true, it's just as clear we need something different," Teuton said.

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