The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it is probing the conditions within eight youth detention centers and one youth development center managed by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. The statewide investigation will scrutinize whether Kentucky effectively safeguards youths from excessive force by staff, prolonged isolation for punishment, and adequate protection against violence and sexual abuse. It will also evaluate the adequacy of mental health services and necessary special education for disabled children.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division emphasized the potential of the juvenile justice system to transform young lives.
“Confinement in the juvenile justice system should help children avoid future contact with law enforcement and mature into law-abiding, productive members of society. Too often, juvenile justice facilities break our children, exposing them to dangerous and traumatic conditions,” Clarke said. “We are launching this investigation to ensure that children in Kentucky youth detention facilities are safe from harm, receive adequate mental health care and get appropriate special education services. All children held in the custody of the state deserve safe and humane conditions that can bring about true rehabilitation and reform.”
U.S. Attorney Mike Bennett from the Western District of Kentucky expressed his eagerness to collaborate in this inquiry.
“We look forward to partnering with the Civil Rights Division and our colleagues in the Eastern District to conduct a fair and thorough investigation of these allegations,” Bennett said.
The focus of the probe is on detention centers that mostly house children pending court proceedings. Data shows that these centers nationally admit about 200,000 children annually, with an average nightly population of 16,000. Typically, a child’s stay in detention lasts 27 days, but research indicates that even much shorter durations can lead to severe and potentially lasting detrimental impacts on a child’s life.
The investigation, still in its early stages without any findings yet on the allegations, will proceed under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. Both laws empower the department to look into widespread violations of juvenile rights in detention facilities.
The Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division, in partnership with the U.S. Attorney Offices for Kentucky’s Western and Eastern Districts, is handling this investigation. The department is calling on individuals with pertinent information to come forward and contact them at (888) 392-8241 or via email at Kentucky.Kids@usdoj.gov.
The division recently secured a settlement agreement involving the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice’s Broad River Road Complex, the state’s only long-term post-adjudication facility for children. It is currently investigating conditions at five post-adjudication facilities for children in Texas. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s work protecting children’s rights in the juvenile justice system is available on its website at justice.gov/crt/rights-juveniles.