Beshear signs off on legislation that would reopen Louisville's Youth Detention Center

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville's juvenile jail is on course to reopen after Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed off on legislation aimed at reforming juvenile justice in the state.

Troubled by staffing shortages, a lack of mental health resources and money, Metro Council voted to pull city funding from Louisville's Youth Detention Center as part of widespread budget cuts in late 2019.

"The impacts of closing the center, I think, were much more significant than any of us anticipated," Metro Council President Markus Winkler, D-17, told WDRB News on Monday.

The number of youth homicides in Louisville tripled between 2018 and 2021, when a total of 60 people between the ages of 15 and 24 killed.

"When you look at the rise in juvenile crime in Jefferson County, one of the things that people point to is the rise of disconnected youth in the city," said Winkler. "So these are kids that are neither in JCPS nor connected with employment."

That's among the reasons state Rep. Kevin Bratcher worked to push through House Bill 3, which provides about $15 million in funding for the building's renovation and reopening.

"Juvenile crime is a problem in this city, and you need a good detention center to have a place where the children can go," Bratcher, R-Louisville, said.

Before it was closed four years ago, Louisville's juvenile jail was the only youth detention center in the state that was run by a county.

Former Metro Council President David James was among the votes to close the jail back in 2019. Now, as the city's deputy mayor, he said he supports the bill, which turns over operations of youth detention in Louisville to the state Department of Juvenile Justice.

"Having the state operate this system in Louisville, just as they do across the state, having the same treatment plans for children inside, I think will be a much, much, better situation," James said.

The former councilman said the city will work to facilitate repairs, and, once it's up and running, will help with some services for kids, looping in Jefferson County Public Schools. JCPS said they will work with Metro Government on an education plan when the jail reopens.

"Providing the resources and helping to facilitate the mental health assistance for children that are going to be there is what our side will be doing," James said.

"The whole goal is to get a child in here that's having trouble, sit down with him or her and get their life turned around before they turn 18," said Bratcher.

The bill would also require kids taken into custody for a violent crime to be held for a maximum 48 hours. They would see a judge and have a mental health and substance use disorder evaluation while in custody.

Kate Miller, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), is among those critical of these specific reforms. She said the accused have certain rights, and to hold a minor in jail for that amount of time could be harmful.

"A kid being in jail for just one day can dramatically impact the rest of their lives, so we're very opposed to the mandatory hold," Miller said.

Miller added that she also doesn't support spending money to renovate the jail. But, she said, if there's going to be one, it would be better served in Louisville where the accused could access resources.

Additionally, the bill would make violent juvenile convictions public record for three years. But many critics would like to see those records remain sealed, as they are now.

"Really, access to a juvenile's justice records are access to a child's worst day," Marcie Timmerman, with Mental Health America of Kentucky, said back in February. "Even if they're a teenager, right? Their brains are still developing. These people are not making decisions like you and I as adults are doing. I think that's important to underscore and remember when we look at juvenile justice."

Monday, Beshear signed off on House Bill 3, sending it to the secretary of state's office to become law. He also signed off on Senate Bill 162, which will result in an influx of state money for salary increases, to hire more youth workers and to make security upgrades at youth detention centers in the state.

“I’m grateful that the General Assembly put about 70% of what we asked for and some of the most critical components" in the legislation, Beshear told reporters when asked about the legislature's work on juvenile justice. "But we still need dollars for other important and significant changes. We hope those will be considered in the next session.”

Republican lawmakers have blamed the Democratic governor's administration for the unrest in the juvenile justice system. The state Republican Party issued a statement Monday that said Beshear's administration “ran it into the ground.” Beshear said that pay raises and other changes in the system were needed for years but weren't made then by the GOP-led legislature.

The state-run juvenile justice system has struggled to house increasing numbers of young people accused of violent offenses, resulting in a string of assaults, riots and escapes. Beshear previously took a series of steps to try to quell the unrest, including providing “defensive equipment” — pepper spray and Tasers — so detention center workers can defend themselves and others if attacked.