LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Incarcerated youth at the Jefferson Regional Juvenile Detention Center will be moved later this month as the facility temporarily closes for renovations.
The facility, located in Lyndon, will close on Sept. 30. Renovations are expected to begin Oct. 15 and will be completed sometime in mid-2026.
Once complete the facility will have a maximum bed capacity of 28, up from 10, and all cells will have updated plumbing. There will also be improvements to the intake area and electronic security systems, the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) said.
Male youth at the facility charged with low-level offenses (a Class D felony or lesser offense) will be moved to the Campbell Regional Juvenile Detention Center, officials said.
Those youth charged with higher-level offenses will continue to be housed in one of three high-level facilities across Kentucky. Those are in Adair, Fayette and Warren counties.
All female juveniles remain housed at the Boyd Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
In December 2019, Louisville Metro Government closed the city’s downtown Metro Youth Detention Center and transferred custody to the DJJ.
The department said it began housing juveniles at the Lyndon facility in January 2020, however it didn’t meet the standards of other Kentucky detention centers. Gov. Andy Beshear requested and received $7.5 million for renovations from the General Assembly in 2023 and 2024.
“Once both [the Lyndon and downtown Louisville] facilities are complete, we will have access to state-of-the-art facilities allowing us to better meet the needs of our juvenile population, law enforcement will have reduced transportation time and the court system will have more frequent access to the juveniles on their caseload,” Beshear said.
Kentucky lawmakers have approved $38.9 million to renovate the downtown Louisville Youth Detention Center, however construction has yet to begin. Once it does, the state expects it will take roughly two years to complete.
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