Athens youth facility for male offenders closes

ATHENS - A youth home for male juvenile offenders with special mental health needs has closed four months after it opened after state complaints of poor management. <br> <br> The Bridge Institute closed last month after failing to adequately address problems noted by the state Department of Juvenile Justice. <br> <br> The facility opened in December and operated for only four months, costing the state more than $690,000. <br> <br> The facility, designed to house some of the state&#39;s juvenile offenders who have psychological problems, was operated by the private, Virginia-based First Corrections Corp. under contract with the state Department of Juvenile Justice. <br> <br> But after only two months of operation, several top personnel had resigned from The Bridge, and the Department of Juvenile Justice had issued a stern written warning to First Corrections, demanding a correction plan establishing ``a firm timeline to become fully operations,&#39;&#39; the Athens Banner-Herald reported Sunday. <br> <br> Among other things, complaints included a lack of experience among staff members, problems with the physical plant and inadequate medical services, the newspaper reported. <br> <br> First Corrections officials, contacted both in Athens and in Virginia, did not return the paper&#39;s phone calls over several weeks. <br> <br> At one point, the institute had 40 children, but since then the number has been reduced to 22. Earlier this year, lawmakers had cut the facility&#39;s budget by $250,000. <br> <br> Last month, 14 children at The Bridge Institute were moved to the mental health wing of a youth development center in Augusta. <br> <br> According to a handful of staff members responsible for transporting the children, the scene was disturbing to watch. <br> <br> ``They&#39;ve been bounced from facilities before,&#39;&#39; said Laureen Lessard, an education clerk and librarian at the home. ``There were kids saying, &#39;No, no, you can&#39;t do this to us again.&#39; Some were hiding under the bed and crying.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The facility&#39;s four-month lifespan left 90 people unemployed and leaves the state in need of juvenile facilities designed specifically for children with mental health needs. <br> <br> About 40 percent of the children sentenced in the Georgia juvenile justice system have mental health needs. <br> <br> In all, the state has 38 beds available in specialized mental health units, said Jaci Vickers, a Department of Juvenile Justice spokeswoman. <br> <br> Vickers said the decision to move the facility ``was made by the commissioner that the services we required to be provided were not being provided.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The decision was made final in an April 12 letter that Orlando Martinez, head of the Department of Juvenile Justice, sent to John Moore, the chief operating officer of First Corrections, expressing the department&#39;s ``intention not to renew the contract.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Jamie Fellner, director of the U.S. Program for Human Rights Watch, said it was ``very unusual&#39;&#39; for a facility like The Bridge to close after such a short period. <br> <br> When asked if First Corrections should have had more time to correct the problems found, Vickers said, ``We worked very diligently with First Corrections as they experienced start-up problems, and even given that, some of the challenges they had were too large to overcome.&#39;&#39;