Bronx elected officials conducted a July 20 inspection of Horizon Juvenile Center and immediately sounded the alarm about poor conditions and overcrowding at the facility.
The visit by Assembly Member Amanda Septimo and State Senators Luis Sepúlveda and José M. Serrano comes one month after 11 people were stabbed in a violent clash between residents and officers. Though no one was seriously injured, the incident shed light on problems at the center, which the officials said included dirtiness, graffiti and chipping paint in addition to the lack of staff.
Horizon, operated by the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), is one of two city-run juvenile detention centers with the “most restrictive security features” designed for “youth who pose the highest risk or who have been accused of committing serious offenses.” The Bronx Times contacted ACS but did not hear back in time for publication.
ACS describes Horizon as offering medical, dental and mental health services, high school and college programming, recreation, a law library and youth rights unit. However, elected officials questioned whether such services are being adequately provided under the current circumstances.
Septimo said the visit aimed to ensure the safety of young people and staff in light of the recent brawl. “What we found inside is a situation of inherent dangerousness,” she said.
The facility has a capacity of 121 individuals but is currently housing more than 150, according to Septimo. “That is a recipe for disaster.”
Septimo said the young people inside deserved quality support services aimed at true rehabilitation. But currently, “While the staff are trying their best, they are simply underresourced and unable to meet the needs of all the individuals being held here.”
Programming at the center has improved over time, staff said, but she questioned whether an understaffed facility can actually deliver. There seem to be “two stories happening, and that what is intended is not necessarily living up to reality,” she said.
Septimo called on the city to expedite the current construction project, which will add about 50 more beds and increase recreational space but is not expected to be completed until early 2029. She also said elected officials want to see work on a staffing plan and a comprehensive approach to delivering safety and services.
Serrano said he had empathy for those at Horizon and recognized that many are “talented individuals” whose potential is not being fulfilled.
“Everyone deserves additional chances,” especially young people who have years ahead to reform their lives, he said. “In the facility that is overcrowded and does need additional resources, we have to do better to ensure they have what they need.”
Sepúlveda called the inspection “an eye-opening experience” that showed Horizon is “lacking in many respects” — worse than the others he’s visited as former Senate chair of crime and corrections, he said.
Sepúlveda called for a thorough investigation and said, “When you see facilities that are not conducive to a young person bettering themself, we have to better, as a city and state.”
He also said that the violent brawl in June happened because young people somehow managed to obtain keys and gain access to scalpels, and that upgrading the locking systems could help in such incidents. But as of now, it remains “a major concern” that violence could break out again at any time, Sepúlveda said.
The elected officials said they would continue to visit and press the city and state to find solutions for Horizon, which was overseen by a federal monitor from 2018 until last year, when the monitor ended its oversight.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
