Wayne County juvenile jail in crisis

Why it matters: Overcrowding and understaffing issues are at a crisis point. Youths confined to their rooms for extended periods have been denied basic care, education and medication.

• The facility can comfortably accommodate 80, but housed about 140 youths earlier this month.

Between the lines: State closures of youth residential treatment centers are causing overcrowding because beds aren't available when a judge decides placement at a treatment facility is needed.

• Wayne County Executive Warren Evans criticized the state for this in a January letter to fellow Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

What's next: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says it installed staff to improve supervision as it conducts numerous investigations into complaints at the jail.