FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CR

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1997 (202) 616-2765

TDD (202) 514-1888

PUERTO RICO TO UPGRADE CONDITIONS AT JUVENILE DETENTION AND

TREATMENT CENTERS UNDER AGREEMENT WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Juveniles confined in 18 detention and

treatment centers and two group homes throughout Puerto Rico will
be protected from harm and receive proper educational and mental
health services under an agreement reached today between the
Commonwealth and the Justice Department.

The settlement, filed today in U.S. District Court in San

Juan, stems from a long-term investigation by the Justice
Department under the 1980 Civil Rights of Institutionalized
Persons Act (CRIPA) into conditions in Puerto Rico's juvenile
correctional facilities. Under the agreement, Puerto Rico has
committed to make widespread changes in the operation of the 20
facilities, addressing issues such as staffing, mental health and
substance abuse treatment, and discipline procedures. The
agreement also provides for a federal court monitor to oversee
compliance throughout the system.

"We must not give up on our children," said Isabelle Katz

Pinzler, Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "We
must make sure that juveniles entering these centers come out
willing to give back to society, rather than eager to get back at
it."

The Department investigated the facilities, which house over

1,900 juveniles, and found that conditions at the centers failed
to meet constitutional standards. In 1994, the parties entered
into an interim agreement which the court ordered on an emergency
basis. That agreement is superceded by the more comprehensive
agreement filed with the court today.

Under today's agreement, Puerto Rico will implement

additional treatment services to ensure the juveniles become
productive members of society upon release by:

* providing mental health and substance abuse services;

* providing educational services;

* enabling a third party to monitor the state's compliance

with the agreement;

* building new facilities and renovating existing ones to

 comply with safety codes; and,

* taking emergency steps to ensure the safety of the juveniles

at the facility in Bayamon.

"We are glad that we were able to work with state officials
to reach agreement on how to address the problems in the juvenile
facilities in Puerto Rico," added Pinzler.
The agreement must be approved by the court.
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