In 1992, the Children’s Law Center filed a lawsuit against the Kenton County Detention Center and county officials, among others, challenging the conditions under which youth were held in the old county building in Covington. The juvenile wing of the jail was eventually shut down, and the Campbell Regional Juvenile Detention Center opened in 1999 as a replacement for detaining youth.
The 52-bed facility was one of the first state operated regional centers built in Kentucky’s juvenile detention state plan to replace reliance upon housing youth in adult jails. It is one of 8 such juvenile detention facilities operated by the Department of Juvenile Justice, and it serves 15 counties. Kentucky lost federal funding in the 1990’s because of its practices housing kids in jails rather than juvenile facilities. Juvenile detention centers are used for youth who are arrested and held pending a final disposition of their case. Youth who are bound over to be tried as adults are also housed in juvenile detention until sentenced.
The Department of Juvenile Justice has now taken the next step in reducing reliance upon unnecessary incarceration by implementation of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. In 2013, DOJJ began JDAI in Campbell, Fayette and Jefferson Counties as a way to reduce the population of youth admitted to detention. JDAI is a national model, created by the Annie E. Casey Foundation more than 20 years ago as a cost-effective way to reduce the number and length of detention stays, reduce racial disparities, and create good alternatives. JDAI was created in 1992, and has become widely replicated nationally, reaching youth in almost 200 jurisdictions across 39 states and the District of Columbia as of 2013.
Detaining a child may have a negative impact on the child’s court case. Research shows that detained youth are more likely to be formally charged and found to be delinquent, and more likely to be committed to a juvenile correctional facility. It may also be associated with negative long term outcomes, including disruptions to education and employability.
Campbell County’s JDAI process, chaired by Judge Karen Thomas, has been a collaboration which includes various stakeholders from the juvenile justice system, and uses data and best practices for detaining the kids who are high risk, while working to reduce those who can be safely released to the community. Early statistics are encouraging, as noted by JDAI Coordinator Keith Bales, as the two year figures from 2012 – 2014 show a near 1/3 reduction in Campbell County numbers, even as the average stay is longer. But there is much work to be done in Campbell and in other counties which feed into the Campbell Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
Juvenile justice policies and programming has evolved considerably since our litigation in 1992, and national trends suggest that there are better, cheaper and more effective alternatives than locking up children in detention in many instances. “Right sizing” crime is a responsible approach, but it also takes a shift in thinking to abandon long held beliefs about what works. Thanks to the Campbell County JDAI team, a smarter and more effective approach is underway. That not only helps keep our communities safe, it gives kids who make mistakes a better chance to succeed.
Kim Tandy is the executive director of the Children’s Law Center, and served on the JDAI Steering Committee in Campbell County.