State Reps. John Roth and Luke Meerman today renewed their call to close the Michigan Youth Treatment Center, citing yet another incident of preventable violence that put both children and workers at risk. 

“The fact that children continue to be put in harm’s way while under the state’s care is despicable,” said Roth (R-Interlochen), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services. “Serious concerns have been raised repeatedly, yet the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has deliberately ignored these issues. The department has been failing our children, and it is well past time for accountability. We can’t afford to wait any longer. People are getting hurt.” 

The calls for change come as another violent incident has been documented at the Michigan Youth Treatment Center. A fight broke out between two youths, and the staff on hand failed to address the situation in a timely and effective manner. 

“It’s outrageous,” said Meerman (R-Coopersville), a former foster parent who now chairs the House Oversight Subcommittee on Child Welfare. “For 17 seconds, the staff did nothing as two children viciously pummeled each other. When someone did have the courage to step in, one of the kids beat him over the head with his own radio, and he required stitches. We can’t justify keeping kids in these conditions. These facilities are supposed to help at-risk youth, but their dangerous disorganization is causing them to fail, and we can’t count on the state to hold them accountable.” 

Roth continued by highlighting the pressing need for such facilities to function as they are intended. “Youth treatment in Michigan is in crisis,” Roth said.

“The MDHHS has failed our children. The state has been the only option because they have been maliciously shutting down nonprofits. We need to rethink how these institutions are being operated. Counties need to handle juvenile justice, not the department. Community leaders will be able to identify solutions that will actually help our children, because the state clearly cannot.”