Secure Facilities
Regional Evaluation Centers
DJJ operates three regional evaluation centers: Coastal, Midlands and Upstate. Each of the agency's evaluation centers provide court-ordered evaluations for adjudicated youth (those found guilty) prior to final disposition of their cases. The evaluation centers provide comprehensive psychological, social, and educational assessments to guide the court's disposition of cases. Evaluation centers also house youth in admissions status, meaning youth who are court-ordered to be committed to DJJ for a determinate (certain period of time) or indeterminate sentence. Youth in admissions status are screened by a multi-disciplinary team to determine an appropriate treatment and housing assignment. By law, the length of stay for youth undergoing a secure evaluation cannot exceed 45 days.
Juvenile Detention Center
DJJ's Juvenile Detention Center is a centralized pre-trial detention facility, serving juveniles from most of South Carolina's 46 counties (several counties, including Richland and Charleston, operate their own long-term and short-term detention facilities). The Detention Center is a secure, short-term facility providing custodial care and acute treatment to male and female juveniles ages 11 and older who are detained by law enforcement agencies for alleged offenses committed prior to their 18th birthday. Youth ordered to cooperate with a secure evaluation may also be ordered by the family courts to be detained prior to disposition. Youth awaiting trial on serious and violent charges reside at DJJ's Detention Center to ensure public safety and the youth’s immediate availability for court proceedings.
Broad River Road Complex (BRRC)
The Broad River Road Complex in Columbia is the agency’s long-term commitment facility. The more than 200-acre complex offers programs for boys and girls of different backgrounds and needs, including programs for youth with behavioral issues and special needs.
BRRC is also home to DJJ’s fully accredited school district, which provides continued education for youth, preparing students for post-secondary education and beyond. This campus also includes DJJ's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program, a cooperative effort between DJJ’s school district and the U.S. Army, and various enriching vocational programs.
In addition to school and vocational options, BRRC offers social work and psychology services, treatment planning, psychiatry services, a full infirmary for health care needs, gyms, open fields, a game room incentive building, recreation and various types of rehabilitative programs and work programs.
U.S. Department of Justice Agreement
In April 2022, DJJ entered a voluntary settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). This agreement stems from a DOJ investigation initiated in 2017, where the DOJ concluded there was reasonable cause to believe that certain conditions at the Broad River Road Complex violated the constitutional rights of youth at that facility. The settlement agreement includes important changes in policies and training around investigations, programming, uses of force, classification, isolation, and responses to youth-on-youth fights, among others. A copy of all compliance reports to date can be found below.
Compliance Monitoring Report - October 2024
Compliance Monitoring Report - April 2024
Compliance Monitoring Report - October 2023
Compliance Monitoring Report - April 2023
Compliance Monitoring Report - October 2022
BRRC Initial Implementation Plan Summary
Alternative Placement
In an effort to create a variety of options for youth, with the goal of keeping youth in the least restrictive environment, DJJ has community-based residential programs available throughout the state. As an alternative to our secure facilities, youth may be housed at one of the facilities listed below, which are specific to serving DJJ youth in lieu of detention, as a condition of their probation/parole, evaluation or commitment.
All sites provide on-site schooling, an extension of the SCDJJ School District. Youth have access to vocational/job training, evidence-based interventions, and aftercare services.
These programs are operated by Contract Providers. Families are encouraged to participate in the youth’s plan of care. Visitation is encouraged. For more information, families can reach out to the program directly.