Juvenile justice population drops by 60%, State closes several detention centers

Fewer youths are ending up locked in detention centers around Kentucky as a result of legislation passed in 2014 reforming the juvenile justice system in Kentucky.

The Department of Juvenile Justice reports a 60 percent drop in the population of youth from the Fall of 2013 through May of 2017.

There have been three detention centers which have closed this year including: Owensboro Treatment Center, Lincoln Village Regional Juvenile Detention Center and Audubon Youth Development Center which has been converted into a day school for public and youthful offenders who require a minimum security placement.

Last week Juvenile Justice Commissioner Carey Cockerell and state Sen. Whitney Westerfield walked through Audubon Youth Development Center with Pure Politics, and Justice and Public Safety Commissioner John Tilley and youth advocate Tara Grieshop-Goodwin, the chief policy officer for Kentucky Youth Advocates, shared their thoughts on the changes happening in the commonwealth in the following report.