LOUISVILLE, Ky. — We now have some of the long-awaited answers on the fate of youth in Jefferson County's detention Center.
Budget cuts led the city to turn over the youth detention to the state, closing Louisville's facility.
More than 50 stakeholders were around the table today, as the deputy mayor and the state department of juvenile justice laid out the tentative plan.
"We know and recognize that not only is this complicated but it impacts lots of agencies and lots of people's lives," Deputy Mayor Ellen Hessen said.
Starting January 1, Louisville's Youth Detention Center will close its doors.
In its place will be a 10-bed hybrid detention center on the Audubon detention campus in eastern Jefferson county.
"We're on this. We're looking for stakeholders. We're looking for suggestions," Commissioner for the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice Denver Butler, said. "We want to figure out why they're in the system, get them out of the system and keep them out of the system and make them a productive member of society."
Any kids arrested will meet with a court worker to determine if they are fit for release or be detained. If they're detained they'll be taken to the hybrid facility overnight until their arraignment. After that, they'll be taken to the closest state juvenile detention facility with an open bed, in Adair, Campbell or Warren counties.
"We're going to expand every service we can for the alternative detention in Louisville to keep kids in Louisville and hopefully with their families," Butler said.
A lot of the process and details are still in the works, including transportation logistics. Both Louisville Metro Police and the Jefferson County Sheriff's department will be involved.
The juvenile justice department also plans to create a youth development center in Jefferson county, which would allow about 60 kids currently spread throughout the state, to return to Jefferson county.
"It says to me its hopeful because there's going to be intense collaboration between agencies in how best to make that happen," Rev. Roosevelt Lightsy said.
State juvenile justice officials said they are going to work with Louisville Metro Youth Detention Services to help find current detention center staff other employment after the Jan. 1 transition.
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