Letter: Commentary on Berks detention center project contains inaccuracies

Editor:

“Berks on wrong track with its juvenile detention plan” (Reading Eagle, May 30) contained inaccuracies that must be addressed.

The letter correctly states that Berks County has issued an emergency declaration regarding juvenile detention capacity and is working toward repairing the damage caused by a burst water pipe in the Community Reentry Center in Bern Township.

The letter incorrectly says the county has “enlisted the help of a corporation that is a current litigant in a lawsuit alleging the systemic mental, emotional, physical and sexual abuse of minors at its facilities.” This is untrue. The county is working with CGL, a construction company with expertise in the current best practices in justice facility planning, not in detention programming or services. CGL has no current lawsuits pending related to the letter’s allegations because it does not provide such services.

The letter expresses hope that the county will include “professional community stakeholders in the conversation” regarding the rehabilitative and restorative programming that will be put in place for the juveniles in custody. Since 2018, Berks has engaged the expertise and recommendations of industry professionals, like CGL and USA Architects, for best practices in detention infrastructure.

We will continue to rely on industry professionals, as well as our own excellent, internal rehabilitative experts within probation and other offices to help shape programming for the juvenile residents in youth detention. The county intends to solicit input on the project from the public at the appropriate time.

Larry Medaglia

Berks County Deputy Chief Operations Officer

Editor’s note: Medaglia is project lead for the detention center.