ST. LOUIS — Juvenile detention authorities in St. Louis have gone through about half of the $330,000 they set aside for improvements after the first time teenagers escaped from there in the fall – now it’s happened for a fourth time.
Four boys escaped from the facility on Saturday, and one – a 17-year-old facing armed robbery charges – remains on the run.
Police sources tell the I-Team an officer was taken to a hospital for an ankle injury he suffered while chasing the teens. Police captured three of them within 30 minutes of their escape.
Those sources also say a staff member dropped their keys inside the facility, which is when the four boys made their move.
In all, about a dozen teenagers have escaped during the incidents, which began in September. Some of them have escaped more than once.
Along with the 17-year-old still missing from this past weekend, another 17-year-old who was charged with murder remains on the run after his escape from the facility months ago.
The 22nd Judicial Circuit runs the detention center, but it is funded by the city, and houses about two dozen children younger than 18, according to judicial spokesman Jacob Long.
“Obviously this is not what is supposed to happen,” he said.
Hiring is an issue
Following the September escape, Long said juvenile detention administrators came up with a list of improvements including Information Technology upgrades, security updates and building improvements along with a 10.5% pay raise to starting salaries.
Long said about $150,000 of that money has already been spent, about another $100,000 is close to being spent and the remaining balance has been earmarked.
He did not want to elaborate on the specific upgrades that have been made to the building to keep the security changes confidential.
He added after each incident, employees could face discipline as well.
In previous incidents, police sources told the I-Team teens stole staff members keys from a desk. In one incident, two teens broke out a window and ran.
Long said staff members are not called guards, but rather Youth Leader Specialists.
State statute forbids them from being armed, and some state codes prevent them from using defensive tactics like those used in adult institutions including pepper spray or any other chemical agents.
Long said the addition of 17-year-olds to the population this year is contributing to the escapes.
In 2021, Missouri became one of the last states to raise the age of an adult to 18 years old, meaning the juvenile detention center was expected to house 17-year-olds.
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Still, other juvenile facilities in the St. Louis area aren’t experiencing escapes despite the addition of the older teens.
“I also think that you're dealing with a little bit of a different population from other jurisdictions who come from very difficult and challenging backgrounds, where in many cases the only thing they know is a fight or flight response,” Long said.
Long said the teens who escaped Saturday were being held on charges including first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. Three of the teens were involved in previous escapes from the center.
Long added hiring and retaining staff members at the detention center is a challenge.
Long said the center is budgeted for 69 direct care staff members, but has 19 vacancies.
“So we have really dedicated workers out there who are doing their best under some really difficult and challenging circumstances, but government is not immune to some of the hiring shortages, just like every other industry has experienced,” Long said. “And so they're putting in a lot of overtime, they are overworked and so filling some of those positions is probably one of the most pressing issues that we have.”
Other escapes
At least nine other juveniles have escaped from another St. Louis juvenile detention facility in separate incidents in the past year.
Most recently, four 16-year-old boys escaped from the Hogan Street Regional Youth Center on Jan. 28.
And in July, five teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17, overpowered an employee, causing him to hurt his ankle there. They also doused his eyes with bleach before grabbing several sets of car keys belonging to other employees.
The 14 year old and the 17 year old were returned to the facility within several days. The older boy was in possession of a stolen gun when he was found, police said.
The Hogan Street facility in the St. Louis Place neighborhood in north St. Louis is overseen by the Missouri Department of Youth Services.