FRANKFORT, Ky. — Amid reports of riots, alleged sexual abuse and threats made toward security and other teenagers, Kentucky's Juvenile Justice system has been under intense scrutiny in recent months.
State officials are battling staffing shortages within youth detention centers, such as the Jefferson Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Lyndon and the facility in Adair County.
On Thursday, Secretary of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Kerry Harvey and Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Commissioner Vicki Reed addressed concerns in front of state lawmakers in Frankfort and the plans to alleviate them.
They say staffing remains at the heart of the issue.
"Our number one issue that's holding us back from being safe, secure programming is having adequate numbers of staff and the ability to be able to retain them," Reed said during the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary session. "An increasing number of the detained population have gang affiliations and continue the violent behavior inside the detention facility."
Harvey said they have far more violent youth detained today, compared to years ago. He cited nearly 50% of teenage boys in custody are charged with serious crimes, and said many more teenagers are battling serious mental health challenges.
Harvey says they've bumped pay to around $22-23 an hour and have hired recruiters to address the staffing shortage. He says they've started to see more interest, which they hope will lead to improvements in 2023.
In the meantime, state officials hope Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's latest plan will enhance security. By January, his administration hopes to separate teenage boys based on offense level and house them at different facilities that best tend to their current needs.
WHAS11 asked the governor about his plan during a one-on-one interview on Dec. 12.
"For both the safety of the staff and the juveniles themselves, we have to create different classifications of these facilities. It means we can provide services to lower-level offenders without disruption, and also create a higher security environment to ensure there are fewer disruptions from those charged with more violent crimes," Beshear said.
He admits this could cause transportation challenges, but says the move is necessary to protect everyone inside these facilities.
A juvenile justice reform bill will be heard again in this upcoming legislative session. It will include a proposal to fund the reopening of the youth detention center in Louisville, allowing teenagers to be closer to families.
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