Legislators in Kentucky said that a lack of trained personnel and inadequate funding are the two biggest problems in the state’s dysfunctional system.
On Thursday, a group of Kentucky lawmakers demanded new management for the state’s dysfunctional juvenile justice agency, arguing that an outsider was needed to implement reforms and end violent incidents involving detained juveniles.
The lawmakers also demanded third-party investigations into the juvenile prison system, with the freedom to interview agency workers as they saw fit.
Republican state representative Jason Nemes remarked during a news conference that “the people of Kentucky have lost trust in the officials that are administering the Department of Juvenile Justice.”
After a month of studying the challenges plaguing a system that is already straining to accommodate a rising number of youngsters charged with serious offenses, the legislators submitted their proposals.
After a monthlong recess, the Republican-controlled Kentucky legislature will return next week to begin a 30-day session during which this topic is likely to play a central role.
Legislators commended Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s efforts to improve safety and address staffing issues at juvenile correctional facilities. However, they stressed the importance of more reforms, most notably new management in the juvenile justice system.
Republican state senator Danny Carroll said that “we need to bring someone in from the outside who can serve as a change agent to transform the culture within DJJ.”
Beshear replaced the previous DJJ commissioner in 2021 with Vicki Reed, who is still in that role today.
The senators also called for an automated way to inform parents and authorities of a detained child’s whereabouts within the organization. Republican state representative Kevin Bratcher said the necessity for such a system was underscored when police went to a detention institution to pick up a juvenile but were told the kid was at a different facility.
The MPs have called for an external audit of the agency, which should involve interviews with all relevant department staff members who should be assured of total safety if they speak openly.
It appears that “a lot of self-preservation is going on within DJJ,” as Carroll put it.
There has been an increase in violence inside the state’s juvenile incarceration system.
Last year, there was a disturbance at a prison facility, and numerous youths and employees were hurt. When state police troopers and other law enforcement personnel entered the building, peace, and order were quickly restored. The Lexington Herald-Leader said that a brawl broke out at another juvenile detention facility when some teenagers strangled and assaulted workers with a broom. Three minors recently kicked and attacked personnel in an “orchestrated” incident at a different juvenile prison facility.
In response, Beshear said around the end of last year that male juvenile offenders would be segregated into different institutions according to the seriousness of their offenses. Teenage male offenders who have been charged with major offenses will be housed in one of three high-security juvenile detention camps. In addition, he established the first juvenile facility in the state that only houses female inmates.
The governor recently announced a raise in beginning wages for correctional facility employees. Additionally, for the first time, detention facility staff will be given “defensive equipment,” such as pepper spray and tasers, to use in the event of an attack. The organization has also added a compliance branch and a head of security to ensure best practices are used across the board in juvenile justice.