State Rep. John Roth on Tuesday questioned the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) on breakdowns within the juvenile justice system. During a Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee meeting Tuesday, MDHHS officials didn’t take responsibility for children being sent to unvetted, out-of-state facilities.

“When the state takes these kids into custody, they’re taking responsibility for them. It shouldn’t matter if they’re being held by a county or MDHHS, if their parent can’t take them home for dinner, it’s the state’s responsibility,” said Roth, who chairs the budget committee responsible for the human services portion of the MDHHS budget. “State officials are essentially taking on a parental role for the kids in their care. However, they’re acting as absent parents, at best.”

Roth said a child from his district that was caught up in the juvenile justice system and was given an out-of-state placement in Missouri. The facility has a one-star review on Google. Last fall, a staff member at the facility pled guilty to two felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after asking teen patients to send nude pictures.

When Roth learned of the horrible state of the Missouri facility, he sent a letter to MDHHS officials asking for information on the vetting process and why the child was sent there. The department could provide no such vetting documentation or reasoning for the placement. Department officials, per state law, are supposed to vet these facilities and even visit them before Michigan kids are placed there.

“They’re just spinning the wheel of misfortunate and sending kids wherever they can find space,” said Roth, R-Interlochen. “The only reason we know about this placement was through the hypervigilance of the mother. She said there was no kindness or care in the process. In fact, after the court ordered the child to be placed in Missouri, the mother said court staff threw her child in the back of a van before she could even say goodbye.”

Roth said that in his communication with MDHHS officials, they can’t produce the exact number of children placed in out-of-state facilities.

“They just farm our kids out to wherever has room and never communicate internally. It’s a disaster. I cannot imagine the pain felt by the families wondering where their troubled children ended up,” Roth said. “When these kids are put into government care, we need to know exactly who is in charge of ensuring they’re being taken care of and getting the services they need. Right now, no one wants to take responsibility.”

Out-of-state placements are made because Michigan facilities are too overcrowded. Private options are available, but only for kids who are wards of the state. Children in the juvenile justice system who are still under the care of their parents must be housed in a public facility. Roth said the overcrowding issue has led to children not receiving the services they need, and some being released too early.

Earlier this week, Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans called out MDHHS for their inaction regarding overcrowding issues within the Wayne County juvenile detention system. Roth offered his support to Evans, who detailed how MDHHS officials have not ensured adequate services to delinquent youth and have driven non-profit partners away from aiding with residential youth placement without providing a viable alternative.

“The kids in the juvenile justice system are some of the most vulnerable people in the state’s care,” Roth said. “These are kids that screwed up. We’re supposed to be helping them understand why their decisions were wrong and showing them the path to a better life. Instead, MDHHS is creating a concerning pipeline where kids are shoved into overcrowded facilities only to be released too early or never adequately given the services they need.”

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