Talks underway to determine location of new Juvenile Justice Complex
JACKSON, Tenn. – County leaders gathered Wednesday to discuss a new location for a new Madison County Juvenile Justice Complex.
During the meeting, Madison County Mayor AJ Massey highlighted a possible location behind the current Criminal Justice Complex in downtown Jackson.
That location is owned by 11 separate landowners.
In Wednesday’s meeting, they approved a motion to begin speaking with those landowners to acquire the property needed for the new facility that would feature three pods with eight beds each.
Mayor Massey explained why there’s a need for a new juvenile justice complex.
“Primarily, the building is over a hundred years old. It was originally a Union University dorm room when Union was located downtown. Of course, not ADA-compliant. It is in need of tremendous repair, which is attainable, but very expensive. And it doesn’t make a lot of sense to repair an old building that’s over a hundred years old. The building is safe now, and it’s able to be used, but it’s just not where it needs to be,” he said.
Along with an older building in need of repair, the detention center is down to only eight serviceable rooms.
TJ King, the Director of Juvenile Court Services, says that it’s too early to know how much the new building may cost.
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