The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) is the juvenile justice agency of the District of Columbia, in the United States.
He succeeded Vincent Schiraldi, who wrote in an op-ed column after leaving his post, that his tenure was marked by "both controversy and promises kept."
Most important, the rate of recidivism for youths released from Oak Hill decreased 47 percent from 2004 to 2007.
"[2] In 2009, DYRS employees were investigated by the district's Attorney General for possibly having had sexual relations with a teenager under their care.
[3] In 2009, the Council for Court Excellence in a presentation before the DC Council Committee on Human Services communicated their "frustration" with the near absence of public information about DC's juvenile system and of DYRS's actual performance.