From the AFRO  newspaper, go HERE to read the full article.

Excerpt:

Now, Howard University has announced a partnership with the District that, at the onset, will enable at least six delinquent females, ages 15 to 20, to serve out their court-ordered sentences at the new Lillian D. Worthington Residential facility located in Southeast Washington.



The renovated 5,500-square-foot center, slated for opening in July, is a long-term facility and will be operated in conjunction with the privately owned, District-based Metropolitan Educational Solutions.


“This is a small community-based endeavor,” said Linda Harlee-Harper, program manager with the city’s Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services.


She said wherever the participating girls go beyond the walls of the two-story, placid-looking brick structure located on the 5200 block of Astor Place, they will be accompanied by staff.


“So, it’s not a locked facility but a staff-secure facility,” Harlee-Harper said, adding that for too long, the District has neglected its young troubled females.

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Barry, who has often asserted the need for more services geared to youth, said the detention center offers the kind of environment where detainees can more closely interact with staff during their rehabilitation and also achieve educational goals.



“The problem is that a lot of people don’t want detention centers in their backyards,” Barry said. He added, however, that such was the case with the Worthington Center and that officials had to stand firm on their decision to locate it where it is.


“There have been [similar] programs put in people’s communities that they opposed, but once they were up and running, nobody wanted them to leave,” Barry said, adding that he felt the community would likewise embrace Worthington.


Peaceaholics cofounder Ron Moten also said he applauded the decision to keep the girls in the District.


“They shouldn’t have wasted taxpayer money in the first place, housing females around the country where they were disconnected from their families,” Moten said.


“But having the program right here in the District where the proper people can oversee it, amongst the village we once had, is the answer.”