By GARRY RAYNO, InDepthNH.org

CONCORD — While the state is building a new Youth Development Center in Hampstead, it may not be big enough when it opens.

At the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee meeting Friday, lawmakers questioned if the 18-bed facility would be large enough as the current census at the Sununu Youth Services Center, formerly YDC,  has been steady at 18 youths for five of the last six months.

Rep. Jesse Edwards, R-Auburn, said the figures made him nervous as the 18 beds for the new center was thought to provide flexibility with a normal average of about 12 youths, but there would be no flexibility if the average is 18.

Deputy Health and Human Services Commissioner Morissa Henn said the census at the Sununu center has been higher this past year due to changes around the juvenile justice system with commitments for gang activity and youths committing more serious crimes resulting in longer sentences. She said that has been a trend nationally, not just in New Hampshire.

“That has shifted the landscape in the juvenile justice system,” Henn said.

She said her agency has been working to drive the number down by working with parents and at-risk youths to provide “upstream services” that make a difference and by working with the court system, which is the only entity that can commit youths to the detention center.

Edwards noted that detained youths appears to be the growth area while those committed to the center is a more stable number.

Henn said the number of detained youths varies as a young person could be there only two or three days before he or she is transferred to another placement.

But she noted that instead of two or three youths committed a year ago, it is now up to six. “There has been a change in the composition of the youths,” Henn said.

The legislature has long tried to close the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester as the population has dropped considerably since the federally funded facility opened in 2006 and is expensive to operate and maintain costing about $13 million a year for the 144-bed facility.

The legislature several years ago decided to close the center and build a smaller facility more in line with the current population. But the closure has been delayed while state officials sought to find a location for the center.

The state used American Rescue Plan Act funds of initially $21 million, but now $27.5 million to build the new facility on the site of Hampstead Hospital, the state’s psychiatric residential treatment facility for young people.

At Friday’s meeting, Sen. Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead, asked if there is a plan B if there are more than 18 young people committed to the facility.

Henn said, “the situation is not entirely up to HHS.” 

She noted if there is a major incident and 10 kids are sent to the Sununu center today, the department would not be able to accommodate them all due to staffing levels, the current set up and federal regulations for safe population separation.

“It is never out of the question that the census could exceed the cap,” Henn said, and they would have to find a way to get some into other residential treatment facilities or served elsewhere.
But she noted the courts are the ones to decide who is committed and the concern is the census is very close to the cap right now.

YDC Abuse Fund

The fourth quarter of last year saw an additional 79 claims filed by victims of abuse at the Youth Development Center, bringing the total for the year to 259, according to the quarterly report filed by Claims Administrator John Broderick.

In his report, he notes many of the filings were claims that were originally filed with the Superior Court and he said he expects a similar number of claims to be filed this year by the deadline Dec. 31.

He suggested the legislature could extend the deadline by several months if the legislature makes statutory changes to encourage more claims.

The state set aside $100 million in a fund to try to settle with more than 1,200 sexual and physical abuse victims before they go to court, as several of their attorneys say the settlement process is flawed and the victims will do better in court.

Almost all of the alleged abusers have yet to be brought to trial, which has also frustrated the victims.

According to the quarterly report, the 259 settlement filers have sought awards totaling $255.75 million.

At the end of the year 177 claims were still pending seeking awards of $187.3 million.

The Attorney General’s Office and the claims administrator have resolved 78 claims, 66 by the Attorney General’s Office and 12 by the claims administrator, totaling $36.3 million.

At the end of the year $25.45 million had been paid to victims while $7.4 million is pending.

Garry Rayno may be reached at garry.rayno@yahoo.com.