Commissioner rethinking handling of older teens
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The head of the state Department of Children’s Services is rethinking whether older teens should be in the department’s custody after a third major escape attempt in less than a month that involved at least one 18-year-old.
DCS Commissioner Jim Henry told WKRN-TV earlier this week that 38 percent of the 306 delinquents in the department’s custody are 17 and 18 year olds, and they cause about 70 percent of the problems.
DCS spokesman Rob Johnson told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Henry is exploring whether those teens should be placed in an adult system, as in some other states. Currently in Tennessee, teens can remain in juvenile custody until they’re 19.
Johnson said 18-year-olds were involved in the three escape attempts at the Woodland Hills complex in Nashville.
