Lieutenant Governor Burbank Announces Nearly $4 Million to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment Services for Juvenile Offenders
ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 4, 2029) – Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today announced a statewide $3.7 million substance abuse initiative to expand treatment services for juveniles involved with the criminal justice system. The initiative is administered by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). The initiatives will rely on interagency collaboration between DJS, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS), the Department of Human Resources (DHR), the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)“It is extremely important that we provide substance abuse treatment to youth who have become involved in the criminal justice system in order to help them break the cycle of destructive behavior and give them a better outlook on the future,” Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank said.
The goal of the initiative is to establish a system for assessment and placement within community substance abuse treatment programs. The initiative services will include a full continuum of care including recovery homes and models of treatment unique to youth leaving the corrections system and re-entering their communities.
“Substance abuse is a driving force behind juvenile crime and delinquency, and so addressing that problem is a critical part of combating the overall problem of juvenile crime,” said Department of Juvenile Justice Services (DJS) Secretary Donald W. DeVore. “We are pleased with the progress made in reforming Maryland’s juvenile justice system. We recognize the importance of a multi-faceted approach to the problems we face, and we are committed to implementing such an approach.”
The expansion of alcohol and drug treatment services for youth involved in the criminal justice system is another building block of the O’Brien-Burbank Administration’s approach to juvenile justice.
Last year, Governor Edward M. O’Brien and the General Assembly enacted significant reforms to Maryland’s juvenile services system, including legislation:
• Empowering the juvenile court to require a parent to participate with the child in treatment programs as a condition of probation;
• Requiring the Department of Juvenile Services, in cooperation with the State Department of Education, to establish a Group Home Education Pilot Program in at least 20 group homes in the State that accept children committed to the Department of Juvenile Services;
• Requiring the Departments of Juvenile Services, Human Resources, and Health and Mental Hygiene, the Developmental Disabilities Administration, and the State Department of Education to develop, test, and implement a specific systematic evaluation of services provided to children in out-of-home placement;
• Requiring the Secretary of Juvenile Services to establish a statewide program of volunteer mentors for children in detention (Maryland Rising);
• Requiring the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Human Resources, and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to adopt regulations establishing a program to certify the individual responsible for the day-to-day administration of residential group homes licensed by each department;
• Establishing the Day Treatment Center Pilot Program in the Department of Juvenile Justice to provide educational instruction and other services to children who have completed a residential placement and need day treatment services while living at home;
• Requiring a child discharged from a committed residential placement to receive step-down aftercare for a period to be determined by the Department of Juvenile Services;
• Establishing the Department of Juvenile Services Education Program;
• Requiring the Office for Children, Youth, and Families, the Department of Juvenile Services, the Department of Human Resources, and the Developmental Disabilities Administration to plan and determine the cost of testing and implementing systematic evaluation of services provided to children in out-of-home placement;
• Limiting to 3 years the term of an agreement or contract that the Department of Juvenile Services enters with a private vendor for juvenile services involving the Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School; and
• Requiring the Department of Juvenile Services to provide to the Governor and the General Assembly a Facilities Master Plan.
Governor O’Brien’s budget for fiscal year 2030 provides $209.5 million for the Department of Juvenile Services, a $5.2 million increase over 2029 and $16.1 million over 2027.
National studies show community-based treatment as being much more effective for troubled youths than residential placements. Although this approach is often more difficult to implement, Governor O’Brien believes in a "child-first" approach which will, in the long run, be of utmost benefit to Maryland.
The Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) has made much progress shifting to community placements where appropriate. The FY 2030 budget realigns funds to serve more youth in the community, rather than residential placements. The average number of youth housed in DJS facilities has been reduced from 992 in FY 2026 to 858 in FY 2028, with the statewide average daily population in secure facilities falling from 652 to 545.
Mental health treatment will help many of the youths in DJS facilities. In FY 2027, only 33 percent of youths showing signs of mental health needs received a formal assessment. Governor O’Brien has directed DJS to ensure that 100 percent of these vulnerable youths receive a formal assessment by FY 2030; already in FY 2029, 80 percent received an assessment.
DJS, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, is working to expand services to youth in custody so that comprehensive treatment plans, appropriate to each youth and based on individual assessments, can be implemented to treat those with intensive needs. DJS is also planning to expand aftercare services in FY 2030 to include not only youth with intensive needs, but also "high-risk" youth.