Shuman Receives Full License

After operating on a provisional license from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Health for the last 6 months, Shuman Juvenile Detention Facility has now received a full license. The facility's full license was revoked in June when an inspection unveiled concerns about understaffing, overcrowding, insufficient medical records and building management. An August inspection showed that those same problems had not yet been remedied. However, according to Stacy Witalec, spokesperson for the Public Health Department, a December 2 inspection showed a "complete overhaul" of the facility and its staff. Witalec says all of Shuman's problems have been corrected or are planned on being corrected in the near future.

Shuman Center Transfers to Begin in October

The first transfer of residents from the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center in Lincoln-Lemington to the Auberle Home in McKeesport will most likely occur in October, when facilities will be ready to receive up to 24 young people awaiting their juvenile court hearings.

Shuman Executive Director Jack Simmons says transfer selection criteria have been crafted with the goal of assuring the safety of both residents and the community. Only younger, low-risk, first-time offenders will go to Auberle, where there is less security. Juveniles who have escaped from other facilities or stand accused of serious offenses will not be eligible.

Although housing some residents at Auberle may save money in the long run, Simmons says the primary reason for the move is to address overcrowding at Shuman, which has been a long-standing problem.

The Shuman residents transferred will be in the charge of Auberle employees, but their regimen will be identical to that at Shuman, according to Simmons.