Shelby juvenile court seeks to keep youths out of detention
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Juvenile court officials in Shelby County are seeking funds for more beds in an effort to keep additional youths out of detention.
A nonprofit organization provides four beds to accommodate children who can’t go home but shouldn’t be detained, but The Commercial Appeal (http://bit.ly/1F37sPT) reports experts say that’s not enough for a city the size of Memphis.
Larry Scroggs, court CAO and chief counsel, says juvenile court asked for an additional $140,000 for alternative beds to accommodate youth.
The request is part of a larger movement to reduce the number of children in detention. The county has already had a decline in the number of youth detained, from 3,949 in 2012 to 1,304 in 2014.
