The Baltimore County Department of Corrections is pushing back over findings of two investigations into living conditions of juveniles at the detention center in Towson.Walt Pesterfield, the department's director, told state lawmakers at a legislative hearing on Friday that some of the investigations' findings are "not accurate."He was referencing two investigations by a unit within the Maryland Office of the Public Defender that determined children who are charged as adults had been living in rat-infested cells that often flooded with contaminated toilet water and debris. They determined the youth had been locked up for as many as 23 hours a day."Some children are in their cell 23 hours, which, of course, fits the definition of restrictive housing. Is that something that is going to be addressed in the short term?" said Baltimore County Delegate Sheila Ruth, D-District 44B."Quite frankly, that is not accurate," Pesterfield said.The OPD probe found juveniles sleeping on floor mats with limited access to showers. It found youth were forced to wash clothes in their cell's sink. They allege no schooling was provided, there was no separation from adult detainees and there was no recreation nor mental health services."Are they separated from the rest of the population?" said Baltimore County Delegate Jon Cardin, D-District 11B."They are separated," Pesterfield said."What educational services, social, psychological and emotional services are they getting?" said Baltimore County Delegate Cheryl Pasteur, D-District 11A."They are being educated by the Baltimore County school system," Pesterfield said. "We do have mental health services through the county."County officials are disputing some of the allegations made in the OPD probe. The Department of Corrections launched its own investigation and officials said its finding will be made public in the next 30 days."It appears, in many cases, conditions were not found as entirely described; however, the county has identified areas for improvement," Pesterfield said.The OPD stands by its findings and is calling for the immediate transfer of all juveniles from the facility, which currently houses 11 boys and a girl."(The Baltimore County Department of Corrections) has told the courts, they've told state's attorneys, 'We cannot care for these children. We cannot provide for the care that these children need,'" said Elizabeth Hilliard, assistant director of government relations at the OPD.Donna M. D'Alessio, the OPD's supervising attorney for the juvenile and Youth Defense Unit, sent a statement to 11 News, saying: "We stand by the letter from the Public Defender's Office regarding conditions for juveniles at the Baltimore County Detention Center ("BCDC"). All juvenile clients interviewed at BCDC have confirmed that they are in their cells 23 hours out of every day. They are allowed one hour to walk, shower and call home. This hour can occur at any time of the day or night."The health and educational services are limited and inadequate, particularly for children with trauma disorders and intellectual disabilities. Children on suicide watch are isolated and unable to make phone calls, even to their parents. They do not always get showers. Conditions in the intake unit are unsanitary and frightening for teenagers. BCDC is simply not purposed or equipped to house children."The OPD released another statement after the hearing Friday afternoon, saying: "Before even issuing the letter, the Maryland Office of the Public Defender made a legal request through the (Maryland Public Information Act) process to the Baltimore County Detention Center regarding the children they are holding. The response to the MPIA was vague and did not address specific allegations. Similarly, their statement to the Baltimore County Delegation today was lacking in details." Juvenile justice reform advocates are supporting the Youth Equity and Safety Act (House Bill 96), which would end the practice of automatically charging any youth, including those accused of serious crimes, as adults.But Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-District 46, said more study is needed."We are not seeing the level of success of services at the Department of Justice that any of us should be satisfied with, and so, it is difficult to say that we should be placing a greater burden on the juvenile system before we know whether or not the services they already control are sufficient," Ferguson said.