Community advocates denounce alleged violence at juvenile detention center

In 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio developed and implemented the adolescent rescue program, however not everyone feels the program has had a positive impact.
The program which moves 16 and 17-year-old teenagers from Rikers Island to dedicated facilities such as Crossroads Juvenile Center has become an issue for workers at the center, who say they are concerned for their safety.
Community Advocate Tony Herbert and Former Juvenile Justice Counselor Victor Silva were at the maximum security facility in Brownsville Sunday to denounce violence at the center.
Silva claims violence is being inflicted on staff members and juvenile inmates by violent teens transferred from Rikers Island.
“This is coming from individuals who are bringing what they learned from a bigger prison into a smaller section,” he said.
Herbert and Silva are calling on the administration for children's services to release the number of incidents committed against both staff and inmates within the facility.
An administration for children's services spokesperson responded with the following statement: "As both the number of youth entering juvenile justice facilities, as well as the number of incidents at our facilities, have declined substantially since 2012, we encourage community partners to join us at the table as we continue to improve our practice. The spreading of inaccurate information serves no one."