Ingrid Mezo

The Victor Cullen Juvenile Center in Sabillasville is expected to reopen sometime this summer to treat delinquent boys from the ages of 13 through 20. An exact opening date depends on how quickly repairs can be made to the buildings on the 500-acre site, said Donald DeVore, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.

The facility was built in 1907 as a tuberculosis sanatorium and later became a state hospital before it became a reform school for boys in 1965.

Once fully operational, the center will house a maximum of 48 boys, DeVore pledged. When the Victor Cullen Center closed in 2002, 174 youths were housed there. But, DeVore acknowledged that he could only guarantee that number would not increase while serving as secretary.

The center will treat boys who are repeat offenders charged with crimes such as robbery and substance abuse, but not more violent offenders like murderers or rapists, said James Smith, Director of Detention and Residential Operations at the center.

The center will be the first Juvenile Services facility opened in 10 years in Maryland, and DeVore said he plans to open up other similar, small, regionalized treatment facilities throughout the state.

While the department originally planned to open the facility in a year, the closure of the Bowling Brook Preparatory Academy in Carroll County in January after the death of a teenager there forced them to shoot for an earlier opening date. DeVore said he has 165 children that are waiting for placement, with nowhere in the state to put them. Now, juveniles are sent out of state to places as far away as Arizona to receive treatment, which DeVore said has been an ineffective method of reforming them.

But, Sabillasville area residents are concerned about their safety.

More than 60 residents attended a meeting hosted by the Northwest Frederick County Civic Association (NWCCA) at Sabillasville Elementary School on April 10 to express concerns about re-opening Victor Cullen, and to ask for heightened security.

The Victor Cullen Center for delinquent boys has been open twice before. It has been closed since April 2002. A private company, Youth Services International, ran the center before it closed in 2002, but lost its contract with the state due to reports of mismanagement.

Residents recalled how youths had escaped from the center, and stolen cars and other property.

"Our history then with the operation of Victor Cullen was not a pleasant one," said George Kuhn, NWCCA President.

After the meeting, Lula Turner of Friends Creek was skeptical about reopening the center.

"I’ve lived here all my life-73 years," she said. "We’ve heard all this sweet talk before. They came right down our road. They stole a lot of things from people."

DeVore acknowledged that the center had not met the community’s expectations in the past, but said that this time, the state would run the facility instead of contracting it out to a private company.

"This facility will be nothing like the facility that was here before," Devore said. Efforts to ensure safety at the facility include a no-climb fence, 24-hour camera monitoring, and perimeter checks every two hours.

In addition, DeVore said he hoped to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the community, which would allow residents to hold him and the Department of Juvenile Services accountable.

DeVore said the center will have a community advisory board made up of area residents who will have regular input into what happens there, and who would be able to come into the facility unannounced and check on the operations there.

DeVore said he also planned to hold many additional meetings with residents prior to the opening of Victor Cullen to hash out how to address safety concerns.