By GREGORY N. HEIRES

Mia Padgett is one of nearly 50 Counselors hurt in recent months in assaults by residents in the city's understaffed juvenile detention centers.

The facilities house youths charged with crimes ranging from robbery to rape and murder. Ms. Padgett suffered a fractured right hand as she came to the assistance of a coworker who was under attack by an inmate.

Recuperating from her injury, Ms. Padgett has used up her leave time. Now she wonders whether she will be able to meet her mortgage payments.

Alarmed by a rising spiral of violence directed at female Counselors, Juvenile Center Employees Local 1457 is fighting back. (see Public Employee Press, February 2002 issue, pages 8-9).

Six months: 48 attacks on members
Work Location	June 2001	July 2001	August 2001	September 2001	October 2001	November, mid-December 2001
Bridges Juvenile Center	5	2	0	0	0	4
Crossroads Juvenile Center	4	1	3	2	3	3
Horizon Juvenile Center	6	2	3	3	2	5
TOTAL	15	5	6	5	5	12	48
Sources: New York City Department of Juvenile Justice: Local 1457

Workplace violence runs rampant at the city's juvenile detention centers, where female Counselors say they work in an atmosphere of terror.

In recent months, about two dozen Juvenile Counselors have been out on Worker's Compensation because of assaults by inmates.

"The residents prey on you, especially if they think you are weak. We need more protection," said Fannie Ojatusase, who was viciously bitten on her thumb by a female resident, as the inmates are known.

"It is intolerable to have workers going to their job and fearing for their safety every day," said Alex Parker, president of New York City Juvenile Center Employees Local 1457. Mr. Parker reported that the local and DC 37 are pressing the Dept. of Juvenile Justice to take action to protect members.

The union wants DJJ to hire more Counselors, set up special support dormatories with more comprehensive services at each center, add security guards (known as special officers), train the staff in the latest methods of counseling and physical restraint for mentally ill teenagers, and adopt disciplinary procedures for inmates who assault staff.

If successful, grievances the local filed with the help of Rep Tyler Hemingway would provide specific protections for female Counselors, guarantee greater security for outside recreation and make retraining mandatory when staff assume new duties.

Another goal is to have a line-of-duty injury policy that automatically covers Counselors who are hurt on the job as a result of an accident or assault. The local wants DJJ to guarantee a more structured environment with more emphasis on conflict resolution and counseling than on recreation.

DC 37 Professional Division Director Stephanie Velez expressed cautious optimism about getting a more sympathetic response from the new Bloomberg administration. But she noted that members feel management so far has treated their safety concerns with disdain. For instance, former Deputy Commissioner Sandra Langston responded to a grievance that calls for improved protection for female Counselors by suggesting that they keep "their hair pinned up."

Mr. Parker said the agency's failure to promote a structured environment contributes to the violence. Mr. Parker criticized the department's practice of permiting residents to walk through Counselors' roll-call sessions on the way to activities. This allows residents to overhear confidential discussions about strategies for dealing with disciplinary, medical and personal problems.

The city's secured detention centers - Horizon and Bridges in the Bronx and Crossroads in Brooklyn - house mostly 12- to 16-year-old youths who await sentencing or face charges on crimes ranging from robbery and drug dealing to rape and murder. About 300 youths live in the centers, where one Counselor covers each eight-bed section and two Counselors work in the 16-bed areas. The DC 37 Health and Safety Dept. says increasing the ratio of staff to resident would improve security.

Nearly 50 assaults on staff occurred during the second half of 2001. Veteran Counselors say the level of violence is noticeably higher than years ago. They express particular alarm about the assaults against female Juvenile Counselors by female inmates.

"Years ago, when female Counselors were injured it was while they were breaking up fights," said Associate Juvenile Counselor Vandora Pankey-Roberts, a 12-year veteran. "Now residents are attacking them."

Ms. Pankey-Roberts and other Counselors suggest that a number of societal factors help explain the rise in violence. Many inmates were born addicted to crack cocaine. An increasing number have mental health problems.

"As Counselors, we are sympathetic about the kids' troubled backgrounds and we realize that social ills may explain many of their behavioral problems," said Mr. Parker. "But management has turned a blind eye to the violence. We won't give up until the department takes concrete steps to protect our members."