Mayor Bill Dieruf’s statement on the need to restore juvenile justice in Louisville

This disturbing report by WAVE3 Troubleshooter Natalia Martinez clearly defines the alarming community catastrophe we have with the complete void of juvenile justice in Louisville. Chief Rick Sanders and I have been talking about this serious public safety failure for the past 14 months.

The dangerous situation at the juvenile detention center on LaGrange Road in Lyndon is one stark illustration of why Louisville must re-establish an effective juvenile justice system here for the safety of the community.

As the WAVE3 report details (https://www.wave3.com/2022/09/16/matter-life-death-whistleblowers-urge-closing-juvenile-detention-center-lyndon/), youths who are serious offenders — accused of murder, rape and assault — are wreaking havoc in an understaffed, overcrowded facility in Lyndon that was never intended for this use. The youths are attacking overworked staff members, rioting, breaking doors and windows, setting fires and escaping, according to the report.

It is not safe for the center’s staff. It is not safe for nearby residents. And it is not safe for the youths housed there in the less than humane circumstances described in the report.

I applaud the bravery and good conscience of a former staff member and others with firsthand knowledge of this facility who stepped up and blew the whistle on this public safety nightmare. Something must be done immediately about the Lyndon facility before someone dies!

The reason Louisville is in this situation today is because the current administration decided to shut down the Jefferson County Youth Center in downtown Louisville in 2019 so that the city did not have to pay for it anymore. That is a powerful indicator of how the establishment government officials do not understand basic public safety and shows a serious lack of concern for keeping the people of Louisville safe!

I realize there are many wayward youths who need guidance and a fresh start. We need to reform who we can before they are in the system for good and take the truly dangerous youths off the street so that they don’t perpetuate more violence or lead others astray.

The majority of serious crimes being committed in Louisville today are at the hands of youths who know there will be little or no repercussions for their illegal behavior. Youths who break the law need to be held accountable for their actions, therefore we must have a youth detention center.

I have already been working with state Rep. Kevin Bratcher on legislation that would re-establish juvenile justice in Louisville. If the current administration isn’t going to do something to address this disaster created three years ago when top officials in Louisville and Frankfort could not come to an agreement on how to fund JCYC, then Rep. Bratcher and I will step up and do so. There have to be consequences for young serious offenders.

In my role as Mayor of Jeffersontown and past president of the Kentucky League of Cities, I am already working in Frankfort on juvenile justice legislation and other bills that are in the best interest of Louisville Metro. Our community cannot wait until Jan. 1 to take action in Frankfort that will make Louisville a safer, more prosperous place to live. And it starts with making sure we have an effective juvenile justice system in place. Lives are at stake!