Social worker Lydael Vega said fragmented agency structures make it hard to deliver services and respond to emergencies in time, citing the case of a 16-year-old with chronic autism who killed his grandmother in Guaynabo with a bladed weapon. According to Vega, professionals in Puerto Rico do not arrive in time to handle emergencies because "there is a fragmentation of the agencies that provide the service."
In the youth's case, agencies were working on a plan to place him and develop alternatives suited to his needs, but it is unknown what services were offered to address traumas he experienced at an early age. Vega said the services being discussed are delivered privately and are not available to all families, and that the corrections system currently lacks the structure for therapeutic justice, restorative justice or rehabilitation "because they decided to remove it."
Former Corrections deputy secretary Víctor Rivera Sierra confirmed the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation lacks the tools to rehabilitate the teen. He said the department offers therapies tied to the crime committed, not to why it was committed, with a workshop and a psychological evaluation every two years, and no structured follow-up even after release to the community.
Both experts pointed to the system's limits in comprehensively serving minors with complex needs and following their cases.