JUVENILE FACILITIES FALL SHORT

Albany-Children in state-run juvenile detention facilities are not always
getting needed drug treatment and in some cases are not adequately
evaluated for such problems, according to an audit released yesterday by
state Comptroller H. Carl McCall.

The report looked at a sample of 100 young people in residential facilities
throughout the state and found that, of 55 youths who were identified as
abusing drugs or alcohol, 20 received no treatment for the problem while
they were in the state's care.

William VanSlyke, a spokesman for the state Office of Children and Family
Services, which runs the state's roughly 50 facilities, slammed the report,
saying the study is skewed because auditors did not randomly select the sample.

"This is an essentially worthless audit," VanSlyke said. And because McCall
is a likely candidate for governor next year, VanSlyke said, "this is
another in a series of political documents." McCall spokeswoman Theresa
Bourgeois said the study was not intended as an over-arching look at the
agency, but rather as a "snapshot that should provide...important lessons."
Bourgeois added, "They do not challenge that these young people did not get
the drug treatment and other counseling services that were mandated." She
also denied that the audit was politically motivated. The sample was not
randomly selected because auditors wanted to examine as many facilities as
possible, she said.

Children enter the facilities at the order of a judge if they have
committed a crime or their parents can no longer control their behavior.

The study, which examined the case histories of juveniles who were released
between April, 1996, and June, 1997, also found that 23 children identified
with special needs-such as drug abusers or sex offenders-did not receive a
required in-depth evaluation for planning their treatment at the first
facility they entered.

In its written response to the audit, the Office of Children and Family
Services said initial screenings are designed to exaggerate the needs of
children. The office said that, because of that "overscoring," many of the
youths may not have needed such specialized services.

The auditors also found that virtually all the children in the study did
not receive adequate counseling. The state agency said that some of the
counseling records may not have been in the children's files for privacy
reasons.