A report says Ohio mishandled the closing of a youth detention facility earlier this year, contributing to violence and other problems at other detention centers. The report filed Wednesday in federal court in Columbus says the Department of Youth Services closed the Marion detention center without enough planning.
The report by juvenile prisons consultant Fred Cohen says it was unwise for the state to close the center so quickly knowing the obstacles that sending the youth elsewhere would present.
Violence continues in the youth prison system more than a year after the settlement of a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force being used on inmates. Records show guards have used unauthorized restraints and young inmates have frequently attacked officers and one another.
The report was filed as part of a court case involving a teen accused of killing a prison guard in north-east Ohio.
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