Maryland
New audit report details allegations of failures within Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services
A new audit report revealed scathing allegations of failures within Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services.
Among the problems pointed out by the state’s Department of Legislative Services, DJS did not conduct thorough background checks for its contractors who were providing youth care services.
The report notes that an employee working for a DJS contractor was a convict who may have been ineligible to work. As of January, that employee was still there.
The report also pointed out some financial issues and an issue with how DJS handled cybersecurity concerns over a three-year period.
DJS Secretary Vincent Schiraldi said that many of the issues highlighted in the report preceded him and his team. He went on to say that DJS is being proactive about correcting the issues outlined in the report.
“Upon receipt of the preliminary findings, we acted swiftly and proactively to begin correcting the deficiencies outlined in the report,” Schiraldi said.
Abuse allegations in Maryland juvenile detention centers
According to the New York-based law firm, 650 lawsuits have exposed cases of abuse that occurred between the 1970s and 2018 in Maryland’s juvenile detention centers.
Some lawsuits, filed by New York-based firm Levy Konigsberg, allege that survivors suffered repeated abuse at one of 12 juvenile detention facilities in the state.
“It is both appalling and disappointing to our clients that the State of Maryland has refused to take any responsibility for this horrific sexual abuse,” law firm Partner Jerome Block said.
According to the firm, the juvenile detention system has delayed or ignored reform despite investigations, warnings and reports that revealed abusive staff and invasive strip searches.
Survivors allege that the instances of sexual abuse were carried out by officers, counselors, teachers, managers and other staff members.
“The Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, entrusted with protecting these children, instead enabled an environment of silence and suffering,” attorneys said in a statement.
The 650 lawsuits were filed under the Maryland Child Victims Act, a 2023 law that eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse survivors and allowed them to receive a payout of $890,000 for each claim.
Police said Dequan Gravely, 23, of Charles County, was driving northbound on Route 210 near Pine Drive when his Mercedes collided with the school bus turning left from the southbound lanes.
The driver of a car involved in a crash with a Prince George’s County school bus in Accokeek, Maryland, on Friday has been identified.
Prince George’s County police said Dequan Gravely, 23, of Bryans Road in Charles County, was driving northbound on Route 210 near Pine Drive around 7:20 a.m. when his Mercedes collided with the school bus turning left from the southbound lanes.
Investigators said the crash happened in the intersection, causing the school bus to flip onto its side. Gravely died at the scene.
The school bus driver was transported to a hospital and treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Police said no students were on the bus at the time of the crash.
Investigators said they believe debris from the collision damaged a third vehicle. The driver of that vehicle “declined medical attention,” police said.
The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit is investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 301-731-4422.
WTOP’s Acacia James contributed to this report.
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A D.C. man won $5 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket in Maryland last week, and the matching number that netted him the prize happened to be his age.
Talk about a birthday surprise! A D.C. man won $5 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket in Maryland last week, and the matching number that netted him the prize happened to be his age.
Maurice Williams, a school bus driver in D.C., claimed the first top prize on a $5,000,000 LUXE scratch-off. He had used his $50 winnings from a previous LUXE scratch-off ticket to buy a new one the next day.
In a release from the Maryland Lottery, Williams said he didn’t know he had won until he scanned the ticket: “It’s crazy because the matching number was 59 and I just turned 59 the other day.”
Williams said he sat in shock for a while before calling his mother.
He said he plans to buy his mother a house with the winnings and then save up.
Two more top prizes from the scratch-off have yet to be claimed, the Maryland Lottery said, as well as nine $200,000 prizes, 10 $50,000 prizes and thousands of prizes ranging from $50 to $10,000.
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© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
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