Williams describes overcrowding and sleeping conditions in secure detention
Williams discusses the Mamdani administration's plan to reduce secure detention and improve conditions. He says the July average daily population at Crossroads and Horizon was 385 despite a 244-person limit, with youth sleeping in boats in hallways and classrooms.
In September, the Mamdani administration announced a new plan to invest in the city's youth.
This plan aims to reduce the number of young people in secure detention, improve the conditions who are in custody, and strengthen resources in the community.
While the number of those in secure detention has plummeted from its peak in the super predator days of the 80s and 90s, the city currently does not have enough beds for all of the young people in its custody.
In July, the average daily population at Crossroads and High Horizon was 385 people.
Though they are not supposed to house more than 244 people.
Many youth in secure detention sleep in quote-unquote barker bunks.
called boats or shallow plastic tubes with a mattress on the floor.
In hallways or spaces like classrooms, disrupting their sleep and education, restricting their access to bathrooms, and adding pressure to an already high-stress environment.