Montgomery County Youth Center

I am writing this review several years after being here for context. I arrived to MCYC one day after school on charges for alleged fighting, upon being escorted into the building i was met by a friendly staff member that assured me this would feel like a lifetime ago in no time at all (he was right, it has been many years and feels like a bad dream now), i was taken into an interview room and given a case worker, i was given something to eat from a very large list of choices (the food was always very good, always had a ton of options and you were allowed to eat as much as you wanted), after eating they took me back to get a shower and the mcyc clothes on. At all times the staff was extremely respectful and kind, it was honestly a shock to be treated so well by them, especially when the police were absolute d!¢#$. The room i was escorted to was your average 8 by 10 with a rock hard paper thin mattress pad on top of a hard wooden block, a granite desk/counter area, and a steel stool bolted to the wall. Fairly clean but what can you say, its a jail cell at the end of the day. I am a very claustrophobic person and almost immediately had several panic attacks at being trapped in a small room, at which time staff actually removed me from the room and had me spend a few minutes talking with them about what was going on to calm me down. I was assured anytime i needed something to knock on my door and wait a few seconds for someone to come get whatever i needed. Water, bathroom, extra blanket, pillow, books, phone calls, paper to write letters, ect. They are very accommodating to you for being locked up. I never once was hungry or thirsty, i never once felt alone or abandoned like trash, i never once thought of hurting myself or anyone else, i never felt like i was worthless even being a bad person at the time. The schedule they have set gives you plenty of time to sleep, read, eat, work out in the gym or play basketball, theres a beautiful court yard which you get to go outside on nice days, you even get to watch tv everyday and hangout to play cards and socialize with everyone else. Its a very fair place to be considering your there for a reason. My human rights were never violated or broke. I was never without any needs, and i was never alone. You cant really expect more from a place like this, in my opinion its a "nice" place to be, especially when youve got no other choice.

I am writing this review several years after being here for context. I arrived to MCYC one day after school on charges for alleged fighting, upon being escorted into the building i was met by a friendly staff member that assured me this would feel like a lifetime ago in no time at all (he was right, it has been many years and feels like a bad dream now), i was taken into an interview room and given a case worker, i was given something to eat from a very large list of choices (the food was always very good, always had a ton of options and you were allowed to eat as much as you wanted), after eating they took me back to get a shower and the mcyc clothes on. At all times the staff was extremely respectful and kind, it was honestly a shock to be treated so well by them, especially when the police were absolute d!¢#$. The room i was escorted to was your average 8 by 10 with a rock hard paper thin mattress pad on top of a hard wooden block, a granite desk/counter area, and a steel stool bolted to the wall. Fairly clean but what can you say, its a jail cell at the end of the day. I am a very claustrophobic person and almost immediately had several panic attacks at being trapped in a small room, at which time staff actually removed me from the room and had me spend a few minutes talking with them about what was going on to calm me down. I was assured anytime i needed something to knock on my door and wait a few seconds for someone to come get whatever i needed. Water, bathroom, extra blanket, pillow, books, phone calls, paper to write letters, ect. They are very accommodating to you for being locked up. I never once was hungry or thirsty, i never once felt alone or abandoned like trash, i never once thought of hurting myself or anyone else, i never felt like i was worthless even being a bad person at the time. The schedule they have set gives you plenty of time to sleep, read, eat, work out in the gym or play basketball, theres a beautiful court yard which you get to go outside on nice days, you even get to watch tv everyday and hangout to play cards and socialize with everyone else. Its a very fair place to be considering your there for a reason. My human rights were never violated or broke. I was never without any needs, and i was never alone. You cant really expect more from a place like this, in my opinion its a "nice" place to be, especially when youve got no other choice.

It’s the best place for most kids. The staff are the best. Shoutout to my dawgs Mr Troy and Mrs Jordan and Mrs Ashley and Mr Mark ?. (P.S - To those that keep complaining shhhhhhh thanks and adios ??)

My son, John James Hardwick age 22 years is missing , DCPP/ Dyfus in Asbury Park, NJ refused to update my family and I about my two children throughout the last ten years making me sound like I’m nuts, the DCPP/ Dyfus State Agency, did not treat us properly or respectfully, they falsely accused us of wrongdoing and I never hurt or abused my children. A Sergeant/ Detective Jackiewicz from the Ocean Township , NJ Police hasn’t yet updated me of either of my two children he said he would be there Representative and I am not sure if he is still involved with my kids , they are now adults ,I filed a missing person report and the Police still have not notified me if they found him or not. Any chance you could let me know if he’s in your facility? My cell phone number is 732-894-1578 or 732-685-2815 or my address is 1612 Summerfield Avenue, apt.a, Neptune , NJ ….

I just wanted to put it out there, my brother is currently in juvenile detention here and he has been attacked more than 5 times,
My question is where is the staff and what happened to the safety of our children, in there Jesus Christ

Addressing concerns about the current environment, it's evident that there are pressing issues that need urgent attention. First and foremost, the performance and dedication of the staff appear to be lacking, leaving much to be desired in terms of professionalism and commitment. Moreover, the well-being of the children, particularly their mental health, seems to be grossly neglected. This oversight not only jeopardizes their immediate welfare but also has long-term implications for their overall development and happiness. Adding to the challenges is the consistent turnover among staff members, with many choosing not to stay for extended periods. This pattern can be attributed to the toxic work environment that prevails, making it untenable for individuals to maintain their positions. Such a situation calls for immediate intervention and a thorough assessment to rectify these systemic issues and ensure a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment for both staff and children alike.

My son was recently held here for something he didn't do. He came out a different person.. But not in a good way... My son has never in his life lied to me good or bad. He told me the first day he was there that he was threaten by the kid in the next room, the kid ,Joey, threathen to stab my son... Apparently that's why Joey is there. All night long he didnt sleep bc joey was laughing like a psycho , threatening to hurt my son .... Every night. Now there's no way staff didnt hear all this going on .... Especially since it was every night... He could tell me in there bc joey told him he was listening through the vents, and he would kill my son if he told anyone. And visits are done in their rooms.
Rooms are disgusting... Walls filled with all kinds of bodily fluids.... And to look out the little window and see young boys standing there satisfying themselves was disgusting , but no staff would notice bc there are all to busy watching tv.

And then this, apparently basketball there has its own rules ... Apparently its totally fine to repeatedly throw the basketball at kids heads over and over ... Apparently its also okay to punch kids and elbow them in this game... Yes, all was seen by the staff and it's how you play basketball..... Right.
.. And then there is more but my son won't even talk about it ....
This place is a place where children are abused ... Staff gets payed to do nothing and there is so much racism in there .... They do not teach them that we are all the same on the inside ... They let the one race bully the other..... This place is not helping any children ... They let kids get hurt bc they think no one will believe them.... Bc they are to busy watching tv ... Bc they dont want to actually do there job....

This place abuses and neglect's children!!!!!!!

This place was lit. Staff was awesome.

i was here twice and i didn't like it at all

In 1964, at age 15, I spent 2 months there, 30 days in solitary confinement,
This was and still should be considered an in-human treatment. There was no attempt at rehab, just punishment. I hope things have changed.

Staff are very helpful,they do talk to the kids and give them great advice, as for staff i give them 10 stars always knew about my child behavior and progress, loved the help

Poor growth environment. Not supportive of new staff when hired. Would recommend increasing their training for staff and screening procedures for new staff being hired so that accountability is held across the board for ALL employees to minimize favoritism.

This facility is NOT geared toward rehabilitation, or teaching delinquents right from wrong, it is about punishment. It is FILTHY here, it is uncomfortable here, it is unfair here, but that's the system. From what I've seen, they hurt more than they help. The staff are rude and disrespectful to the point of severely emotionally damaging many of the children I've seen held here. They freely throw belittling insults at the kids. Something MUST be done about the age range held here...10 years old to 21 years old with little separation from one another throughout the day. I was held here as a teen, and have since been diagnosed with PTSD.

My son was recently held here for something he didn't do. He came out a different person.. But not in a good way... My son has never in his life lied to me good or bad. He told me the first day he was there that he was threaten by the kid in the next room, the kid ,Joey, threathen to stab my son... Apparently that's why Joey is there. All night long he didnt sleep bc joey was laughing like a psycho , threatening to hurt my son .... Every night. Now there's no way staff didnt hear all this going on .... Especially since it was every night... He could tell me in there bc joey told him he was listening through the vents, and he would kill my son if he told anyone. And visits are done in their rooms.
Rooms are disgusting... Walls filled with all kinds of bodily fluids.... And to look out the little window and see young boys standing there satisfying themselves was disgusting , but no staff would notice bc there are all to busy watching tv.

And then this, apparently basketball there has its own rules ... Apparently its totally fine to repeatedly throw the basketball at kids heads over and over ... Apparently its also okay to punch kids and elbow them in this game... Yes, all was seen by the staff and it's how you play basketball..... Right.
.. And then there is more but my son won't even talk about it ....
This place is a place where children are abused ... Staff gets payed to do nothing and there is so much racism in there .... They do not teach them that we are all the same on the inside ... They let the one race bully the other..... This place is not helping any children ... They let kids get hurt bc they think no one will believe them.... Bc they are to busy watching tv ... Bc they dont want to actually do there job....