Red Rock Academy juvenile facility might reopen despite recent shutdown

Nevada officials late Wednesday said they are considering reopening the juvenile correctional facility in Clark County that was closed by the state last week.

Officials last week said the future of Red Rock Academy would be evaluated by the state’s Division of Child and Family Services, which oversees Nevada’s three juvenile correctional facilities, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services and the Legislature.

The move to consider reopening the facility comes in the wake of a letter sent by former Red Rock employees to the Division of Child and Family Services, lawmakers and Gov. Brian Sandoval’s office. The letter, dated March 13, was signed by almost two dozen workers who expressed their outrage at how the state handled the abrupt closure of the facility.

Employees also voiced concerns over the release of inmates, some of whom were sex offenders. They said the juveniles were not ready to re-enter the community and could pose a risk to public safety.

State officials did receive the letter, according to Chrystal Main, spokeswoman for the division. Sandoval’s office also received the letter after it was forwarded by employees from the Department of Health and Human Services, according to Mike Willden, the governor’s chief of staff.

“DHHS and DCFS are moving ahead with the Nevada Legislature to consider reopening” Red Rock Academy, Main said in a written response that didn’t detail why the closure is being reconsidered.

On March 10, officials with the state and Rite of Passage, a nonprofit organization contracted to run Red Rock Academy, reached an amicable agreement to end their relationship.

Rite of Passage’s contract was set to expire on Sept. 30, 2017.

Red Rock Academy, which is the state’s only maximum-security facility for juveniles, was at the Summit View Youth Correctional Center campus near Interstate 15 and Range Road. Summit View had opened twice and closed twice. The last time it closed was in 2010 because of budget cuts.

State officials were at Red Rock Academy on March 4 to discuss compliance problems that they declined to detail. After the meeting, Red Rock officials told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that they would continue to work with the state to make improvements.

Days later, the state suddenly closed the facility, which opened in December 2013. Forty-three youths were housed at the facility when it closed last week.

A total of 17 Red Rock inmates were placed on supervised release, according to Main. Ten were transferred to Caliente Youth Center and 16 were taken to Nevada Youth Training Center, which has problems of its own: it’s on a six-month corrective action plan to address issues that were not in compliance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act.

Former Red Rock employees in the letter called the closure “unannounced” and “unfair.”

“We are the people who watched helplessly as the students were crying, saying ‘Don’t let them take me,’ one even being pepper sprayed by your representatives while handcuffed, one kicking out windows of the van while handcuffed, and in a general state of shock and confusion,” the letter reads.

They also say they know that some of the “sex offenders” and “dangerous offenders” who were released early on supervision were not “rehabilitated.”

“We know the damage you have caused these students by not allowing them to complete a program that would have shown them another way and the damage you have caused by making our community less safe,” the letter reads.

Melissa Sickmund, director of the Pennsylvania-based National Center for Juvenile Justice, said she doesn’t believe officials would close the facility and not think about the community.

“It would be very embarrassing if something goes wrong,” she said.

She also said the category of “sex offender” doesn’t tell her how dangerous a juvenile can be because that covers a broad range, from a juvenile charged with sexting to a youth charged with rape.

All youths who were placed at Red Rock were assessed prior to admission, Main said.

“A reassessment was conducted by the Youth Parole Bureau in conjunction with the Nevada Youth Training Center and Caliente Youth Center, taking into account each youth’s progress in the program, length of time in the program, current risk/needs, and individualized transitional programming needed,” she said late last week.

Most youths were from Clark County.

The “Division of Child and Family Services has made contact with all family members and communicated about the change in placement and assured them we will facilitate visitation to include transportation costs,” Main said. “The state views this relocation as temporary and still embraces regionalization and family engagement.”

Chuck Stahl, an environmental health specialist with the Nevada State Health Division, who inspected the facility several times, said he last inspected Red Rock on Dec. 8.

“What I found in the kitchen was truly in compliance with Nevada rule,” he said.

The facility had also corrected all non-critical violations that were found on a previous inspection, Stahl said, who also used to inspect the housing units.

In the letter, employees claimed state allegations of noncompliance at the facility have been taken out of context and were “part of an agenda to provide evidence for a shutdown.”

Rite of Passage officials said they had no knowledge of the letter written by former employees. Officials said all 31 employees who lost their jobs on March 13 were offered jobs at other locations.

Contact Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440. Find her on Twitter: @YeseniaAmaro