Councilmember Wong questions detention center populations and school absenteeism
Wong asks about youth numbers at Horizon and Crossroads detention centers. Ginsberg reports 181 at Horizon and 186 at Crossroads including 11 young women. Wong raises a state comptroller report on 13-73% absenteeism; Ginsberg says current attendance is 72-74%, close to community rates.
I would like to ask about the two detention centers.
I've been reading the mayor's executive budget.
I've been hearing and reading the statement.
I just don't see any numbers regarding the number of...
Kids in the two sites at the Brownsville site, 17 Bristol Street and the one in Mott Haven, 560 Brook Avenue.
Can you talk about like?
Sure, Nancy can give you, we have numbers in the testimony, but Nancy can give you what we have today.
Thank you.
As of this morning, we had 181 young men in Horizon.
In Crossroads, we had 186 young people.
11 are young women in that facility.
Last year, there's a report from the state comptroller, the Napoli, regarding both sites.
And I'm going to read that to you.
The report was data in April 2025, and it mentions that the...
The absence rate, school absence, absenteeism rates ranges anywhere from 13 to 73% days absent.
Can you talk about what's been done to improve that?
Yes, I can talk about that.
That report covered the period of COVID.
It was a period of five years, mostly that predated the Adams administration.
That's what it was looking at.
The current attendance rate, according to our DOE partners in both sites, is about
72 to 74%, which is close to the attendance rate in the community.