Unannounced inspections of the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center last year revealed a persistent rodent infestation, malfunctioning air conditioning, and a paraplegic child housed in the infirmary who was left sitting in his own waste.

The findings were documented in the most recent report by the Maryland Office of the Correctional Ombudsman, tasked with monitoring conditions in detention facilities run by the Department of Juvenile Services and certain adult prisons.

The downtown Baltimore facility houses about 82 children on average, roughly half of whom are facing adult criminal charges, according to the report.

“Young people at BCJJC continue to be subjected to unsanitary, unhygienic and uncomfortable living conditions,” the report noted.

The Department of Juvenile Services said it was preparing a formal response to the report and would produce it by the end of the week.

A rodent infestation at the facility had spread throughout multiple housing units, according to the report, with mice so prevalent that youth at the facility had begun naming them.

“Youth shared that mice are entering their rooms and even their beds, prompting them to place towels under their cell doors to try to keep them out,” the report said. “Supply closets on multiple units were observed to have mice droppings and dirty vents, and youth reported foul odors caused by dead mice on the units.”

The ombudsman’s office also found that incarcerated children described the medical care at the facility as “inconsistent and at times neglectful.”

“During one monitoring visit, a paraplegic youth housed in the infirmary was upset because he was left sitting in his own waste (urine and feces),” the report said. “The smell of urine and feces permeated the infirmary area, and the other youth tried to clean the area around the youth to quell the smell.”

In response to those conditions, an assistant ombudsman filed a formal complaint, only after which did the “nursing staff began to meet the youth’s basic hygiene needs,” the report said.

Like other youth detention facilities, the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center has been dealing with “chronic staffing shortages” that “continue to strain ... operations,” the report said.

Staff at the Baltimore facility are frequently drafted to cover double shifts, according to the report, “which can negatively affect staff’s mental and physical health and lead to fatigue, diminished supervision and a heightened risk of negative staff/youth interactions.”

“Several youths reported that some staff take their stress out on them and engage in unprofessional behavior, including being verbally disrespectful, initiating unnecessary physical restraints and locking youth in early without cause,” the report said.

The report also documented screenshots of TikTok videos uploaded by staff at the facility featuring commentary such as: “POV: every time I put my PTO in it’s never approved but the trip is still booked & paid.”

There were also heating and cooling issues, according to the report, which included a nonfunctioning air conditioning system that left housing units “uncomfortable, warm and stuffy.”

Several photos included in the report showed unsanitary conditions on surfaces such as sinks, graffiti covering the walls, rodent droppings, and shoes issued to the incarcerated children that were falling apart.

The monitoring report covered all Department of Juvenile Services facilities, not just the one in downtown Baltimore, and noted an array of issues at them, from the prevalence of contraband to inadequate food services.

Drugs such as buprenorphine in youth detention facilities have led to “medical emergencies, withdrawal symptoms and operational disruptions,” according to the report, which attributed the problem to “current search procedures and accountability measures” not being sufficient.

Other systemic issues included a lack of programming for after-school and evening hours, as well as turnover, burnout and insufficient training among staff.