Office of the Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff - Christine Wallace
The Chief of Staff's office oversees several areas to include the Office of Human Resources, Office of Community Engagement and the Office of Public Information. The Office of Human Resources provides support and influences the strategic direction of the agency by providing managers and employees with innovative solutions to organizational and human resource issues. The office exists to provide services which help the agency to attract, retain, and reward competent and dedicated employees who share a commitment to the values of excellence and innovation in rehabilitation, education and service to juveniles in agency care and the community. HR is committed to promoting a quality work environment for SCDJJ employees that positively influences the empowerment of our youth for the future. the Office of Community Engagement includes Volunteer Services as well as community engagement coordination and the Office of Public Information manages the agency's social media accounts, handles all media inquiries and interviews and publishes and distributes agency publications.
Division of Investigative Services
Inspector General - VACANT
The Division of Investigative Services conducts criminal and internal investigations; conducts inquiries into youth grievances and family support; oversees audits of agency assets (i.e. vehicle and real property); manages agency K-9 Service for the detection of illegal drugs; manages agency gang related information, material or contraband; and maintains surveillance equipment and audio recordings for safety and investigation requests. The Division is also responsible for the Event Reporting System (ERS) - a state-of-the-art computer system used to ensure the comprehensive and real-time tracking, reporting and managing of events occurring within the agency.
Division of Education & Workforce Development
Superintendent - Floyd Lyles
The Division of Education and Workforce Development is responsible for all educational programs operated by the Department and by contracted private vendors. DJJ operates a fully accredited school district year-round for agency-involved youth. All schools offer English, Math, Science, and Social studies at the appropriate grades and levels for each student, serving approximately 400 students in grades 4-12 each day. All students in DJJ’s care attend school while detained or incarcerated. SCDJJ’s school district functions like any other district in South Carolina with a superintendent, principals, teachers, and program coordinators. However, DJJ’s schools differ from other South Carolina Schools in several ways: Schools are in session year-round (enabling students to make up absences and close learning gaps). Curricula for core courses are based on the SC Academic Standards for Education. Birchwood School offers full programs of study leading to a high school diploma. DJJ’s school district also offers students CATE (Birchwood School) courses, extensive special education services, the nation’s first Army JROTC program in a juvenile correctional facility setting, media centers, career development centers, and guidance counselors. Students who are 16 and older and meet specific criteria may prepare for and earn a General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Every student at DJJ is assessed for career interests, abilities, and values and then placed in appropriate academic and/or career and technology classes. The Division also focuses on fostering workforce development opportunities for DJJ youth. The agency's Youth Empowerment Sites (YES) is an employability training program designed for at-risk high school students. The YEC program provides job skills training, career exposure and community internship/work experience for participants throughout South Carolina.
Division of Programs and Services
Deputy Director - Willie Fullilove
The Division of Programs and Services provides and ensures equal access for all juveniles to comprehensive therapeutic services and empirically-validated best practices for clinical care, to include the following: crisis intervention and specialized clinical services; evaluation and assessment; mental health/psychiatric care and professional social work and psychological services; medical/dental primary care, triage, and medical referral services; medication administration and monitoring; employee health; interagency collaboration with other child-serving agencies for jointly-involved and/or special needs youth; and, provision of trauma treatment and training for all staff in trauma-informed care, as well as training provided to all staff regarding prevention and management of corrections fatigue. This division develops and implements enriching programs and services for youth who are committed to SCDJJ’s long-term evaluation and detention facilities to include: recreational and leisure services, chaplaincy, volunteer and visitation services; management of the youth work program and the Agency’s Store of Hope. The Office is also responsible for overseeing the disciplinary process and incentive programs for youth in SCDJJ’s secure facilities
Division of Community Services
Deputy Director - Rhonda Holman
The Division of Community Services is responsible for a wide range of direct services to youth and their families, as well as victims of crime, in communities statewide. Among these services are a number of programs and initiatives aimed at providing effective supervision of youth who are on probation or parole and to support their families, with the goals of reducing juvenile crime and recidivism, and providing for safer communities. The Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) falls under the Division of Community Services as well. The division manages all four regions (Low Country, Midland, Pee Dee and Upstate) to which DJJ provides services to youth and their families in the community through 43 DJJ county offices, inclusive of all 46 counties in South Carolina.
Division of Security and Operations
Deputy Director - Mack McGhee
The Division of Security and Operations is responsible for the security and safety of DJJ facilities, to include oversight of the evaluation centers (CEC, MEC and UEC), the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC), DJJ's long-term facility, the Broad River Road Complex (BRRC) as well as the Centralized Institutional Operations Center (CIOC). Another aspect of the Division is classification services, to include coordinating internal multi-disciplinary staffings and oversight of youth placement, movement, and transportation within and outside of SCDJJ facilities. It is also responsible for dietary facilities as well as admission and orientation of youths. Safety and Emergency preparedness as well as administrative operations are the responsibility of this division.
Division of Community Treatment Services
Deputy Director - Melanie Hendricks
The Division of Community Treatment Services (CTS) is comprised of four major departmental areas: Community Psychology, Community Social Work, Interagency Services, and Evidence-based services. The goal of CTS is to facilitate and enhance evaluation of and behavioral health intervention for DJJ-involved community-based youth. With clinical expertise and intensive case management, youth are served in the following ways: Community Psychology Services – Located in three regional offices, community psychologists provide consultation and court-ordered evaluations of pre-dispositional and adjudicated youth. Community psychologists also perform extensive evaluations of youth under consideration for waiver from Family Court to General Sessions Court. Community Social Work Services – Working collaboratively with community case managers, this team of licensed social workers serve the youth in 19 counties in SC with brief therapy (individual, family, and group treatment), diagnostic assessments and placement staffing documentation, referral services, and clinical case management. Additionally, the social workers collaborate with DJJ special needs coordinators on high-risk cases and also with residential treatment staff regarding youth reentry to the community. Interagency Services – This team is comprised of four regional special needs coordinators in the community, one statewide special needs coordinator for DJJ facilities, and a statewide coordinator of human trafficking cases. Their focus is on appropriate identification and multidisciplinary staffing of high-risk special needs cases, diversion of such cases from DJJ facilities, and collaborative coordination with other SC child-serving agencies. Evidence-Based Services – Evidence-based practice is a process in which the practitioner combines well-researched interventions with clinical experience, ethics, client preferences, and culture to guide and inform the delivery of treatments and services. CTS launched the Leveraging Effective Alternatives to Placement (LEAP) Project in 2021, with the intent to provide intensive, proven family community-based interventions to divert youth from further penetration of the juvenile justice system. This project is the first large-scale implementation of Multi-Systemic Therapy and Functional Family Therapy in SC.
Division of Administrative Services
Deputy Director - Ed Pearce
The Division of Administrative Services is responsible for a multitude of areas, to include the Office of Fiscal Affairs (fiscal operations, procurement, accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger and accounting), Office of Maintenance Services (maintenance/work orders), small and medium maintenance projects, horticulture management, fleet services, custodial, fire and life safety, and recycling), Office of Support Services (excess property, moves, recycling, warehouse delivery, postal and inventory), Office of Information Technology (helpdesk, network services, application planning and support, and desktop support), Office of Information Security & Privacy ( cybersecurity of information systems, infrastructure and application security planning, cybersecurity training, and agency oversight of personal information, assessments, and privacy training), and the Office of Project Management (capital project management, agency project coordination, and special projects oversight).
Division of Legal Standards and Compliance
Deputy Director - David Ross
The Office of Legal Standards and Compliance is comprised of General Counsel and staff, Staff Development & Training, Office of Planning and Accountability and Standards Management. Staff Development & Training is responsible for the essential functions of assessing, identifying, planning, coordinating, implementing, and delivering agency training and development programs for all staff at the agency. SD&T is also integral in the on-boarding process for new hires. The Office of Standards and Professional Development works to foster an agency-wide culture fully committed to policy and procedure compliance, promoting accountability and consistency across all divisions, and most importantly ensuring that DJJ provides service excellence for the youth in our care and their families. Standards Management encompasses the areas of Performance-based Standards (PbS) and the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). The legislative liaison is also under this division.