LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has announced more of his plan to overhaul Kentucky's juvenile detention system, improve safety for all and overcome staffing shortages.
The announcement on Thursday comes after a series of actions he took late last year to try to defuse the risks of violence in detention centers, which is expected to receive considerable attention when the state's Republican-dominated legislature reconvenes in early February.
The latest in Beshear's plan includes an increase in starting pay for detention center staff to $50,000 annually, as well as reclassifying workers as correctional officers. He also wants to help the DJJ "better recruit and retain staff," by providing a 10% and a later 8% raise, as well as an increased hourly and shift premium.
It follows two prior rounds of pay raises to help recruit and retain juvenile justice workers.
“Our hope is that this will improve retention, help in the short term in hiring and get us on the path to ultimately having the staffing that is needed in these facilities,” Beshear said.
In a policy change, "defensive equipment" — including pepper spray and tasers — will be provided to detention center workers for the first time so they can defend themselves and others if attacked. Training will also be provided, that will include how to identify threat groups within centers, the governor said.
As for the introduction of “defensive equipment,” detention center youth workers will carry pepper spray, especially in higher-security facilities, once they undergo training, he said. Workers will have access to tasers, he said, but “we’re looking at the policy of when and where they are carried.”
“Right now when we have a major incident, all they can do is lock down — possibly not even intercede when there is a violent altercation because they don’t have the ability to do so safely — and wait for the state police or others to arrive,” the governor said.
Additionally, the state's juvenile justice department has hired Larry Chandler, former Department of Corrections warden, as the DJJ's director of security. Beshear called Chandler's appointment "a big win" as he brings 33 years of correctional experience "having served as warden of six Kentucky prisons."
Beshear also plans for the addition of a compliance division to ensure best practices are followed across the whole system, Beshear said. Visitor screenings will also be bolstered in an effort to prevent drugs or other dangerous items from infiltrating detention centers, he said. Enhancements to security are being made with assistance from Kentucky State Police and the state Department of Corrections.
The governor also wants to start the process of building two new juvenile justice facilities as well as improving the "physical facilities designed to enhance security.
“What I hope people see is nobody’s running from this," Beshear said at his weekly news conference. “This is a challenge and a problem that needs to be fixed. These facilities need to be safe.”
Beshear didn’t provide a specific price tag but said the expense will be significant.
"It will be in the tens of millions of dollars that we will need to make swift and significant changes that provide for more safety in these facilities,” he said.
The governor said his administration will work with lawmakers in the coming weeks, with the goal of providing the additional funding and making changes to enhance safety.
All of these changes are part of a plan to overhaul the juvenile justice system after reports of fights, fires, and most recently a riot in November 2022 at the detention center in Adair County with reports that a girl in custody was sexually assaulted. At least two guards were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
At another juvenile detention center, a riot broke out when some youths choked and attacked staff with a broom, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported, according to the Associated Press.
Juveniles held at state detention centers receive education, counseling and recreational opportunities. But outbreaks of violence have caused disruptions in those services.
Several steps implemented by the governor already, staring in late December, include the opening of the first female-only juvenile detention center in northern Kentucky as well as the separation of male juveniles by "security level" based on the severity of their offense.
Work is also continuing on expanding the DJJ transportation branch in an effort to help lessen the burden on law enforcement. There is also the goal of hiring more people and purchasing more vehicles for transport.
The governor has said the changes reflect a sobering new reality — that the male population held in the juvenile detention system has become “significantly more violent.”
“Ensuring the safety of our workers is the only way we have enough workers," Beshear said Thursday. "And then ensuring the safety of our workers is the start to ensuring safety for the juveniles as well.”
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
