Bill that would reopen Louisville's youth detention center one step closer to becoming law

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Violent outbursts, understaffed facilities, and teenagers being held hours away from home. These are concerns Kentucky lawmakers hope to address with a new juvenile justice bill that could bring changes to Louisville.

The Louisville Metro Youth Detention Services center, off Jefferson Street downtown, was shut down in late 2019 when Metro Council voted to pull city funding amid across-the board cuts to city services, as well as safety and operational issues. While it's now one step closer to reopening — something many believe is necessary — it will cost more than $30 million to make it happen.

"There's some issues and we need to address them so we can get these children's lives turned around," Louisville Rep. Kevin Bratcher, R-District 29, said.

House Bill 3 passed the House floor Tuesday afternoon. It would keep Louisville kids convicted of violent crimes closer to home by renovating and reopening the city's youth detention center. It would also require youth arrested for violent crimes to be held up to 48 hours in order to have a detention hearing before a judge and a mental health evaluation.

"There's always an underlying cause and we want to make sure these kids get an assessment for treatment for cognitive behavioral therapy or treatment for a substance use disorder," Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser, R-District 62, said.

Bratcher originally asked for nearly $9 million to cover renovation costs, but that number has since risen to $17 million. He said the price tag increased because of inflation and cost of labor.

Other funding requests in the bill include more than $9.5 million to the Department of Juvenile Justice for staffing, nearly $6 million for transportation costs and $2 million for operational costs. There's also $4.5 million requested to renovate Lyndon's juvenile facility.

"What we're really talking about is, after addressing the needs, that we're then penalizing them for their future," said Dr. Kish Cumi Price, president of the Louisville Urban League.

The bill would also 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. "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."

Some legislators in the Kentucky House tried to amend the open records portion of House Bill 3 on the floor Tuesday, but the amendment failed. It ultimately passed in a House floor vote and now heads to the Senate.

If passed into law, the Department of Juvenile Justice would run Louisville's facility. Mayor Craig Greenberg has previously said the city would help provide wraparound services.