Justice Department opens investigation into Kentucky juvenile detention centers / Public News Service

The U.S. Department of Justice is launching an investigation into reports of physical and sexual abuse at Kentucky’s eight juvenile correctional facilities — along with inappropriate use of isolation and lack of access to appropriate mental health care and services for children with disabilities.

U.S. Justice Department Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke said the investigation will be independent and thorough.

“We are committed,” Clarke said, “to ensuring that children in juvenile detention centers are not abused, abused, or deprived of their constitutional rights.”

A federal lawsuit filed earlier this year alleged that two teenage girls were kept isolated in unsanitary conditions and had no access to a toilet.

Terry Brooks, Ph.D., executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said a decade ago the General Assembly passed comprehensive juvenile justice reforms. But since then, the situation in prisons has steadily worsened and become a full-blown crisis that is largely ignored by state leaders.

“If the Beshear administration and the General Assembly were to address this issue,” Brooks said, “we would not have Washington, D.C. joining the Commonwealth to resolve this issue.”

Brooks added that he is confident that the Justice Department’s investigation will result in safe, positive and responsible rehabilitation for Kentucky children that will help them get back on the right path in life.

“They have obviously done in-depth research into the state of detention centers in Kentucky,” Brooks said. “And I’m optimistic that they will provide Kentucky with a roadmap moving forward.”

According to the Justice Department, nearly 200,000 children are admitted to detention centers nationwide each year – about 16,000 youth are held each night.

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Mother’s Day holds a special place in the heart of a Michigan woman whose mother was separated for decades by incarceration.

Jen Szénay of Michigan said in 1990 her mother was sentenced to life in prison for her husband’s murder.

Szénay explained that her mother is a survivor of domestic violence who does not feel protected by the law.

She said two men committed her father’s murder – and her mother, who maintains her innocence, was accused of conspiring with them.

Szénay’s mother received an acquittal from the governor and was released from prison last March. Szénay talked about what her first Mother’s Day with her mother was like after three decades of separation.

“I’m overjoyed to be together, but it was just like there was still so much shock around it,” Szénay said. “I mean, we’ve been separated since May 24, 1990. So just to be able to sit with her and hold her hand. It’s weird to talk about because there are so many little things that you don’t realize you miss a person until you don’t have them anymore.

Szénay is communications coordinator for the Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration, an organization that advocates for second chance legislation.

It would smooth the way into society for those serving long prison sentences if they are deemed to no longer pose a threat to the community.

Incarcerated people would have to submit an application to their responsible judge to have their sentence reduced.

Since statistics show that the average annual prison cost is between $34,000 and $48,000 per person (excluding health care), policy researchers estimate savings of about $200 million per year from second chance legislation.

“Many of these women are themselves victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking,” Szénay said. “Having the ability to go back and say, ‘Look, this happened when I was 18, 19, 25, you know, whatever age, 30, whatever. This is who I am today.’”

Szénay said the money saved by reducing excessive prison sentences could be reinvested in violence prevention, victim assistance and mental health.

“These cases deserve a second look,” Szénay said, “because when you hear the stories you ask yourself: How did this person get so much time for this situation?”

There are about 44,000 people incarcerated or incarcerated in Michigan, and the state spends nearly 20% of its total prison fund — amounting to more than $2 billion per year.

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A North Carolina group hopes to help people stay out of prison by connecting them to important resources.

Recidivism Reduction Educational Programs Services is launching a new hotline to help formerly incarcerated people reintegrate.

Kerwin Pittman, the organization’s founder, said he had a hard time connecting with the right people as a returning citizen nearly seven years ago, and in 2024 the problem still exists, he said.

“We found that there was no connectivity at all across North Carolina,” Pittman pointed out. “There would be people returning, citizens, family members, those who wanted to get help for these individuals who were looking for services and needed services but just couldn’t find them.”

The hotline connects callers with real people, essentially providing a direct connection to services in the community. Pittman noted that more than 100 people have used the call center to contact housing and jobs since its launch last Monday. To contact the center, call 1-888-852-0004.

In North Carolina, 44% of people are rearrested within two years of being released from state prisons. Pittman acknowledged that it can be challenging to make a successful transition when you don’t know where to start, and emphasized that a small resource can be the key to getting on the right track.

“You would be surprised how many people come home and don’t just have a simple ID,” Pittman pointed out. “And we know that without ID you can’t get benefits that you might be entitled to, you can’t get a job, you can’t get housing. And so everything plays a role in some way.”

Pittman hopes it will not only close gaps and connect people to services, but also inspire others to find innovative ways to help connect people impacted by the justice system. Earlier this year, Gov. Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 303 at the state level to ease re-entry.

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Mississippi prisons often lack resources to adequately treat people incarcerated with substance use disorders, but a nonprofit organization is offering alternative programs that focus on treatment rather than incarceration.

The Magnolia State has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, with more than 1,000 people behind bars for every 100,000 residents.

Christina Dent, founder and president of End It For Good, said they invite people to support anti-drug approaches that put lives first, protect families and promote public safety.

“We do community education – with citizens, with advocates, with policymakers – to help them understand why a punitive criminal justice approach to drugs and addiction has not produced good results and why a health-centered approach has produced much better results “Dent explained.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, in 2022 it was estimated that more than 578,000 people in state and federal prisons suffered from a substance use disorder in the year before their admission.

Dent emphasized that they recommend lawmakers look for other alternatives to stop reactionary approaches that result in Mississippians paying harsher penalties for crimes like drug possession.

“Avoid higher penalties,” urged Dent. “Another option would be to reduce the penalties for things like drug possession or recategorize the penalties. We would like to see a shift from treating drug possession as a potential felony to treating drug possession as a misdemeanor.”

Dent noted that such an alternative approach would allow those affected to more easily find employment, support their families and reintegrate into society. She added that felony convictions create lifelong barriers to employment and self-employment.

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