Juvenile detention centers at overcapacity as complaints for violent crimes rise

The number of complaints for serious and violent crimes filed with juvenile justice is on the rise, state data shows. Over the last few months there have been four young people who have been arrested related to three separate homicide incidents. Three of those suspects were just 14 years old.

"These kids need a voice," said William Lassiter, the deputy secretary for juvenile justice at the state Department of Public Safety. "They need an advocate; someone that will speak up for them because they don't have that."

In his role, Lassiter oversees the state's detention centers, a correctional facility for youth starting as young as 10 who are accused of crimes and considered a public safety risk. As of Tuesday, there were 381 young people in those facilities. That's 40 more kids than the system can house and a 178% increase since before the pandemic.

The reasons why the system is at overcapacity is complex, Lassiter explains, and it isn't one factor but several.

During the pandemic, the month after school started up again, there was a 400% increase in referrals to the juvenile justice system.

"Adults missed a lot of the early warning signs in those kids' lives, so now we’re seeing the backlash of that," said Lassiter. "All of those young people are ending up in the system."

But there’s more to it than that -- there are also mental health holds.

As young people who are possibly a risk to themselves or the public wait for bed space at hospitals or treatment facilities, they are placed in detention centers. Those cases make up about 20% of the current population, according to the department.

Beyond that, a lot has happened with juvenile justice in the state since 2019. Like "Raise the Age," a law which means that 16- and 17-year-olds are no longer automatically charged in the adult criminal justice system. Even if they are, they are still held in youth detention centers while awaiting trial.

Finally, there are ongoing staffing issues. The system has a 40% vacancy rate, putting more pressure on the system.

In the next several months, three new youth detention facilities will be opening, bringing capacity to over 400 beds in the state. The General Assembly authorized an additional 48-bed detention center, which is in the planning stages.

In the meantime, Lassiter said providing a rehabilitative approach while kids are in facilities and setting up diversion programs in communities is the best way they can reduce the population long-term and make a difference.

"Most of these kids are facing mental health challenges, educational challenges and family and home problems all going on at the same time, and our job is to look at the full system that drove that kid into the justice system," said Lassiter. "If we succeed here, we save the state a ton of money down the road by not having them in adult facilities."