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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — Questions about Maryland’s youth services programs grew louder on Monday after police arrested three teenagers for allegedly shooting a fourth over the weekend.
 

According to Baltimore County police, a 16, 17 and 19-year-old are being charged as adults for attempted first murder, first-degree assault and other firearm charges.

 

Police say they located a 16-year-old gunshot victim in the 6000 block of Marquette Road in Rosedale. It is not immediately clear the condition of the teen.
 

The charges as embattled Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) Secretary Vincent Schiraldi has spent weeks claiming his agency’s four-month-old gun diversion program, known as the Thrive Academy, is a success.
 

One week ago, Schiraldi wrote a Baltimore Sun op-ed about his youth violence program.
 

Our program identifies the top 2% of youth referred to the department who are at highest risk of being either perpetrator or victim of gun violence and offers them admission to Thrive,” Shiraldi wrote.

Schiraldi said the mission of DJS’s Thrive Academy is to pair the agency’s troubled youth with “life coaches” and case managers to “develop individual plans to help get kids on the right track.”
 

“Plans can include assistance entering and paying for college, a paid job or service in the community, trauma therapy and even relocation assistance,” Schiraldi wrote. “Young people are also provided with a stipend for agreeing to enter Thrive and for achieving certain milestones.”

Schiraldi is not the only public official praising the new program.
 

In an unrelated statement provided to FOX45 News Thursday, Gov. Wes Moore’s office said he believes Thrive Academy is a necessary move towards “reforms and accountability.”
 

In one year, DJS has lowered the vacancy rate all while standing up programs like Thrive Academy to prioritize early intervention to build a more effective, less expensive, and better long-term approach to improving public safety and bolstering opportunity for youth involved in Maryland’s juvenile justice system,” Moore’s spokesperson said.

However, many details about Thrive Academy are unclear.
 

In an initial statement Monday, Moore’s office repeated its support for Thrive Academy.
 

“The average cost of one youth participating in The Thrive Program is approximately $14,000, and DJS is currently serving 200 youth” Moore’s spokesperson said.
 

But these numbers are different than what Schiraldi reportedly told The Washington Post less than two weeks ago. The Washington Post reported Schiraldi said there were only 47 youths enrolled statewide in the academy, marking 76.5% lower participation than FOX45 News was told by Moore’s office.
 

When the discrepancy was brought to Moore’s spokesperson's attention, his office revised its original numbers by saying the program can serve up to 200 juveniles, but only 59 justice-involved youth are currently enrolled.
 

The revised participation numbers mean the Thrive Academy is approximately costing Marylanders $47,000 per teen served.
 

When asked why Moore’s office seems unclear about the correct numbers, FOX45 News’s requests were not immediately returned.
 

This dispute is part of a recent series of public rifts between Moore and Schiraldi.
 

On Wednesday, Schiraldi did not join Moore at a press conference hosted by the state’s Democratic leadership announcing a proposed legislative package aimed at curbing the state’s surging youth crime crisis.
 

When asked if his DJS chief is on board with the proposed juvenile law overhauls, a Moore spokesperson dismissed questions Thursday about whether Schiraldi was consulted before the public announcement.
 

Is Vinny the governor or does he work from the governor?,” Moore’s spokesperson questioned.

Moore is advocating for a $4.4 million increase for the Thrive Academy in his FY2025 budget.
 

Sean Kennedy, a visiting fellow with the Maryland Public Policy Institute, questions the effectiveness of Schiraldi’s academy.
 

Schiraldi launched programs akin to Thrive in DC and NYC and they crashed like the Hindenburg – with worse outcomes and wasted money,” Kennedy said.

“To even participate in Thrive, you have to have multiple convictions and been involved in gun violence," Kennedy said. “[Their] reward is a slap on the wrist and college scholarship.”
 

According to a document provided to FOX45 News by Moore’s office, the Thrive Academy uses “credible messengers” to connect with DJS’s youth. The information sheet says youth are “selected through a combination of human intelligence and data-driven factors.”

ALSO READ | Schiraldi silent about juvenile crime crackdown, raising questions about rift in Annapolis
 

FOX45 News has asked both DJS and Moore’s office for copies of these data-driven reports. These requests were not returned on Monday.
 

Similar programs like Roca and Safe Streets use comparable intervention models to mediate violence.
 

Safe Streets has been the subject of a multi-year investigation by FOX45 News. In January 2024, a federal plea agreement outlined how gang members used a Safe Streets location as a “clubhouse,” storing guns and drugs inside the violence mediation community office.
 

DJS did not respond to comment requests on Monday. This article will be updated if comments are received.