Thursday, May 17, 2007

The Re-Genesis of Oak Hill?!

Immediately down the hall, walk into the Genesis unit, and it's like stepping from a prison into a college dorm -- a particularly quiet one. This experimental unit behind the tall razor-wire fences on the Oak Hill campus in Anne Arundel County is carpeted and freshly painted, with overstuffed couches and a ping-pong table. The cells have wooden beds with comforters. Clusters of kids and guards -- they're called youth development specialists now -- hang out together, laughing and talking about how each boy is doing on his push to get to the next achievement level.

This is the new face of Oak Hill, but don't bother showing it to U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin.
Wait, I did not know Oak Hill had an experimental rehabilitation unit. If it works out DC authorities can rebuild it where it belongs: The District of Columbia. Let Anne Arundel have their park.

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