Maryland Department of Juvenile Services

Green Ridge Youth Center
10700 Fifteen Mile Creek Road
Flintstone, MD 21530
301 478-2930

Savage Mountain Youth Center
164 Freedom Lane
Lonaconing, MD 21539
301 463-2244

Meadow Mountain Youth Center
234 Recovery Road
Grantsville, MD 21535
301 895-5669

Backbone Mountain Youth Centers
Route 1
124 Camp 4 Road
Swanton, MD 21562
301 359-9190

Headquarters
326 Queen City Drive
Cumberland, MD 21502
301 777-2490

The Youth Centers comprise four separate residential facilities and an administrative headquarters located throughout Allegany and Garrett Counties in Western Maryland. Each center serves 36 to 40 court-committed youth between the ages of 14 and 18 years old in a staff secure facility. The Youth Centers serve youth from all regions of the state and employ approximately 190 staff.

Since 1955, the Youth Centers have provided an environment within which young men have the opportunity to make positive changes in their lives. The therapeutic foundation of the Youth Centers' program continues to be the Positive Peer Culture (PPC) model. The basis of the PPC modality is that youth develop self-worth and responsibility only as they become committed to the positive values of helping others. The Youth Centers also utilize the EQUIP Program (a new, highly effective program that motivates and equips young people to help one another) as a programmatic enhancement. The EQUIP Program extend the PPC model of anti-social behaviors by exploring underlying cognitive distortions or critical thinking errors. EQUIP also adds social skill instruction and role playing in the development of socio-moral decision making skills.

The Youth Centers are certified Maryland State Department of Education schools and offer youth a wide variety of educational opportunities including planning to return to public school, preparing for the General Education Diploma (GED) test and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Vocational education opportunities are provided within each center and included carpentry, aquaculture, and automotive technology.

The Youth Centers offer all levels of substance abuse intervention to include assessment, early intervention, outpatient treatment, and intensive outpatient treatment. The Youth Centers also provide comprehensive somatic health care and mental health care services through the Allegany County Health Department.

For information regarding the Youth Centers, contact Dale Schroyer, Superintendent, at 301 777-2491 or schroyer@djs.state.md.us.

To learn more about the Youth Centers Advisory Board, contact Leroya Cothran, DJS Facility Advisory Board Coordinator, at 410 230-3174 or CothranL@djs.state.md.us.

Advisory Board
Youth Centers
Headquarters
326-328 Queen City Drive
Cumberland, MD 21501