juveniles
‘It’s on us:’ KY Republican slams fellow lawmakers for not funding juvenile justice improvements
Sen. Danny Carroll slammed the Kentucky legislature on Friday for not funding his proposal to spend $22 million on a special mental health juvenile detention facility.? The West Kentucky Republican filed Senate Bill 242 during the 2024 session, which would have also created a process to test and treat minors with serious mental health issues […]
Former Ky. Gov. Matt Bevin’s son back in U.S. after being removed from abusive facility
The adopted son of former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is back in the United States — after he was removed earlier this year from an allegedly abusive Jamaican youth facility and left in care of that country’s child welfare system. The boy, 17, is in a placement worked out with help of Jamaican children’s authorities […]
Kentuckians nearing release from prison or juvenile detention in line for Medicaid coverage
Kentucky is one of five additional states that will soon provide Medicaid health coverage for people nearing release from prison or juvenile detention, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.? “We’ve been eagerly anticipating CMS’s approval of Kentucky’s healthy re-entry demonstration for years now,” said Emily Beauregard, executive director of Kentucky Voices […]
Juvenile justice: ‘From nothing to something and then right back to nothing’
The mood was celebratory as Kentucky and federal officials crowded into the Capitol Rotunda on a cold January day in 2001 to announce the end of five years of federal oversight of the state’s problem-ridden juvenile justice system. “We’re never going to slide back to where we were in 1995,” said then-Juvenile Justice Commissioner Ralph […]
U.S. Department of Justice investigating Kentucky juvenile detention conditions
The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation into the conditions at eight of the youth detention centers and one development center in the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice.? “The investigation will examine whether Kentucky protects children confined in these facilities from harm caused by excessive force by staff, prolonged and punitive […]
National privacy standard eyed by Congress for data harvested by big tech companies
If you are having thoughts of suicide, contact 988. For resources regarding eating disorders, visit nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/. WASHINGTON — U.S. House members tasked with addressing what happens to loads of user data collected by big tech companies see a “long overdue” opportunity for a national privacy standard, particularly for children and teens. Lawmakers on a subpanel […]
Automatic transfer of kids accused of some gun crimes to adult court has cleared both chambers
More Kentucky juveniles would be tried as adults under a bill that has now been approved by both chambers of the legislature.? ‘Victims before perpetrators:’ Senate passes bill to try certain juveniles as adults? The House on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 20 which mandates that juveniles 15 or older would be transferred to circuit court […]
Car thefts and carjackings are up. Unreliable data makes it hard to pinpoint why.
Carjackings and car thefts are up significantly compared with the number of incidents before the pandemic, prompting fear and calls for action in many American cities. Motor vehicle thefts increased by 29% in 2023 compared with the previous year, while carjackings slightly decreased by 5%?in?nearly 40 American cities,?according to the Council on Criminal Justice’s most […]
‘Victims before perpetrators:’ Senate passes bill to try certain juveniles as adults?
FRANKFORT — A bill making it easier for Kentucky to try certain juveniles as adults passed out of the Senate Wednesday 25-9-1 after a heated debate.? Under Senate Bill 20, Kentuckians would be transferred to circuit court for trial as an adult if, among other things, they were at least 15 years old at the […]
Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice commissioner resigns?effective Jan. 1
Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice Commissioner Vicki Reed has resigned, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday.? Beshear, who will begin his second term Dec. 12, also announced that Jeremy Slinker, director of Kentucky Emergency Management, is leaving the administration to take a job with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Reed, who has been the target […]
Lawmakers briefed on handling of sexual misconduct charges against juvenile justice staff
Since 2015, there were six cases in which Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice staff engaged in sexual misconduct or activity with a youth in the system, staff told the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee Thursday.? The misconduct could include “sexual harassment” or “inappropriate sexual banter,”? Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Kerry Harvey told […]
Disparities persist among Kentucky youth in juvenile justice system
Black and multiracial youth in Kentucky are more likely to have complaints brought against them – essentially, police reports – and are disproportionately detained, Kentucky Youth Advocates staff told legislators in Frankfort Tuesday.? Cortney Downs, the chief equity officer for Kentucky Youth Advocates, said to the Juvenile Justice Oversight Council and the Commission on Race […]