Rats and rodent feces, tattered shoes and extreme heat and cold were just some of the conditions an independent watchdog found during unannounced inspections of the Maryland juvenile corrections facilities.

Youth advocates are railing against the conditions, calling them unsafe and unsanitary for children and demanding action from the state.

“Maryland is failing kids in its custody by holding them in inhumane and dangerous conditions without appropriate medical care,” Alice Wilkerson, a spokesperson for the Maryland Youth Justice Coalition said in a statement. “The unacceptable conditions documented by the Ombudsman—including, outrageously, youths naming rodents as if they were pets—highlights the need for immediate action to improve youth facilities and to end the harmful practice of charging children as adults.”

The conditions were exposed in a report compiled by the Maryland Office of the Correctional Ombudsman.

The report is a damning condemnation of almost every facet of the centers’ operations. It details staffing shortages that rely on mandatory overtime, persistent contraband of controlled substances, unsanitary kitchen conditions, broken furniture and poorly maintained bathrooms and a lack of programs that promote education and creative expression.

The report looked at five detention centers: Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center (BCJJC), Charles Hickey Jr. School, Cheltenham Youth Detention Center, Lower Eastern Shore Children’s Detention Center and Western Maryland Children’s Detention Center.

It also looked at three placement centers and three other smaller programs.

The report also found one child who was a paraplegic who was a victim of extreme neglect.

“During one monitoring visit, a paraplegic youth housed in the infirmary was upset because he was left sitting in his own waste (urine and feces),” the report said. “The smell of urine and feces permeated the infirmary area, and the other youth tried to clean the area around the youth to quell the smell.”

The report also details the use of buprenorphine, an opioid medication, being abused in the facilities leading to withdrawal symptoms and medical emergencies.

The state says it’s currently working on a response to the report.

Late last year, advocates protested against poor heating conditions in a juvenile corrections facility.