By DaQuan Lawrence
AFRO International Writer
DLawrence@afro.com
Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced June 9 that he has relieved Vincent Schiraldi as head of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), and has appointed Betsy Fox Tolentino as acting secretary of the beleaguered agency beginning June 11.
“We knew when we took office that the Department of Juveniles Services was one of the most troubled in all of state government. We need to continue to move fast and diligently in order to turn it around,” said Moore. He added, “I am pleased that Betsy Fox Tolentino has raised her hand to serve and will lead the department during the next critical phase of this work.”
Tolentino currently serves as managing director of juvenile and young adult justice initiatives at The Roca Impact Institute and has almost two decades of experience focused on criminal and juvenile justice advocacy, policy development, and building systems to meet the diverse needs of Maryland’s communities.
“Her focus on safety for all communities is defined by executional excellence, accountability for justice-involved youth, support for the staff who serve them, and sturdy grounding in the law is exactly what we need at this moment,” said Gov. Moore.
“I am thankful for Secretary Schiraldi’s service to Maryland while leading an organization that shapes the lives of our young people who need support. I wish him well in his next endeavors,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson in a statement.
“I also want to congratulate Betsy Tolentino on her nomination as secretary. Ms. Tolentino’s experience in successful operations at the Department of Juvenile Services will be important to the next phase of the work for the agency.
Schiraldi, who was appointed by Moore, has been leading DJS since Jan. 18, 2023, as acting secretary and was officially confirmed nearly two months later on March 2, 2023.
There have been numerous calls for Schiraldi’s resignation throughout the previous two years. Last year Maryland House and Senate Republicans released a joint statement publicly voicing their disapproval of him, and called his removal on June 9 long overdue.
The recent decision to demote Schiraldi comes nearly five months after a major incident in the community involving teens being released after a carjacking.
“This is about implementing solutions to ensure that repeat violent juveniles are not given the chance to hurt Black people,” former president of the Randallstown NAACP Ryan Coleman told the AFRO.
“This fight is not about Schiraldi or his policies. It’s about protecting the public and giving resources to these juveniles to ensure they stay away from a life of crime,” said Coleman.
Coleman emphasized that the new DJS chief should ensure that community voices are being heard and considered.
“If the secretary truly wants to transform DJS, citizen input cannot be an afterthought or merely seen as a necessary evil; it must be considered a civic right,” said Coleman.
Amid the previous calls for Schiraldi’s resignation, he sat down for an interview with the AFRO to address the concerns of the community.
“We try to carefully assess kids coming into the system…and help prevent them from reoffending,” said Schiraldi at the time. “The overwhelming majority of the time we get that right. But we’re never really going to be a hundred percent right.”
“I’m going to come to work every single day and work my hardest to hold kids accountable, rehabilitate them and improve public safety as long as the governor will have me,” he said in January 2025.
Merely five months later, Gov. Moore expressed his gratitude for Schiraldi’s sentiments and service, while relieving him of his duty.
“Vinny Schiraldi brought decades of experience and innovative thinking to the task of running the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services,” said Gov. Moore. “He put immense energy and effort into his work and moved important new efforts forward — to include the award-winning Thrive Academy—and we thank him for his service.”
As of now, it is unknown whether Schiraldi was asked to step down or whether he chose to vacate the office.