Don't renovate the Jefferson County Youth Detention Center. I have a better plan.
I have spent most of my career serving the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet in various roles, including the Department of Corrections as Warden of several adult facilities, the Parole Board as member and Chair and the Department of Juvenile Justice as Director of Security, Deputy Director of Detention and finally as Interim Commissioner until Randy White came on board.
With respect to the proposed transfer and subsequent renovation of the Jefferson County Youth Detention Center in downtown Louisville to the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice, I and others have discussed multiple options with current and past leadership.
Having overseen multiple new construction projects and renovations within the DOC, I expressed opinions on how best to improve the physical facilities of aging buildings that were not built to provide the type of modern security and services taken for granted in present day construction.
The Department of Juvenile Justice has serious problems
Reasonable people can disagree on what the best solutions should be to solve the myriad problems currently being experienced by the DJJ. It is no secret there are serious problems within the department that need to be addressed. Increased space and staffing for housing, programming and health services are only a few of those problems.
The Jefferson County facility was built in 1978 and has been mostly unused for six years. It was not built to modern standards and requirements needed for juvenile facilities today. Construction methods, equipment, technology as well as local laws and national standards have evolved since many of the JCC and JCYC facilities were built.
The needs of the juvenile population have also changed over the years, not always apparent to those who do not work directly in this population. Youth today, especially those from urban areas, are more likely to be members of Security Threat Groups (gangs), who traditionally are more likely to resort to violence to solve problems with little regard for rules regulating their behavior. Our goal remains the same; changing this behavior from negative to positive, preparing our youth to tackle the challenges and overcome the obstacles they will inevitably face.
The infrastructure and construction problems with renovating a 46-year-old facility have been well documented by GRW, Inc and their partners. This is not going to be an easy project. Assuming the renovation does occur, let us look at the final product.
Good environments change behavior
Even after the renovation, the current downtown Louisville facility would not have the open, light and airy feeling a new, modern juvenile facility would have and would not have access to outside spaces. That is not a good environment to change behavior. Having exposure to light and air has an enormous impact on staff and residents, helping to provide safe, humane housing and workspaces with positive space for programs that can change lives. Architecture can impact exposure, in all affecting staff, management, and the security and maintenance of the facility.
The commonwealth assumes a great responsibility to meet basic needs when detaining any person, even more so if that person is a juvenile. We, as citizens, should examine closely how we are doing that.
I agree with most people that Jefferson County youth should be housed as close to Jefferson County as possible. I certainly agree with Governor Beshear and Senator Danny Carroll that the Juvenile system needs to increase its capacity to deal with the mental and medical health problems that plague the system. I also agree with Governor Beshear that males and females should be in separate facilities.
The average stay of juveniles in detention (pre-adjudication or juvenile jails) is approximately 30 days or less when I tracked it while I was assigned to JCC. There are some exceptions, but generally the stay in detention is short. The typical operation of a facility includes intake, assessment, transportation to and from court hearings, education, recreation, meals and keeping order. The longer-term programming such as substance abuse treatment, sex offender treatment and vocation programs takes place in the Juvenile Detention Centers (post-conviction).
The DJJ currently owns approximately 90 acres of property in Lyndon between LaGrange Road and Westport Road. The Jefferson Regional Juvenile Detention Center is the main facility on the property, located at 8711 LaGrange Road, which is currently undergoing major renovations to convert it from an education facility to a detention center. There is ample space for staff and visitor parking, with less chance of traffic issues when compared with the downtown area.
Keep Kentucky justice involved youths close to home
Taking all this information into account with the realization this alternative version would take time, commitment from all segments of government and would take a much greater capital outlay, as an alternative to the downtown renovation, I suggest the following:
Finish the current renovation on the Lyndon facility and on the west end of the building, add a Youth Development Center. When completed, this facility could house females only, one side for detention, one for YDC.
Also, on the 90-acre Lyndon property, build a modern facility for boys, with the capacity to house detention and YDC youths.
Add a 10-20 bed facility to house our most severe mental health problems, both male and female. With Central State within two miles of the facility, a memorandum of agreement could provide the professional mental health services so sorely needed.
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This scenario would keep Jefferson County youth in Jefferson County making it easier on law enforcement, JCC transportation, the courts and the Office of Public Advocacy.
I believe this plan would become a model for Juvenile detention in Kentucky and the nation as well as be sustainable for the future.
Larry D. Chandler is a former jailer, warden, Parole Board Chair, Director of Security, Deputy Executive Director and Interim Commissioner for the Department of Juvenile Justice.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice has serious problems
