The Department of Public Safety today during an open house offered community leaders and elected officials their first view of Cabarrus Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Concord. Officials with the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice will open the new center next week, in efforts to provide safer, more secure and more efficient care for detained youth in its custody.
The juvenile detention center currently located and operated as Gaston Juvenile Detention Center is being relocated to the former Kirk Building located on the grounds of Stonewall Jackson Youth Development Center in Concord, and has been renamed as the Cabarrus Regional Juvenile Detention Center. This relocation marks the first phase of the 2014 Juvenile Justice Strategic Plan.
“We are thrilled to have put the Juvenile Strategic Plan into action with the relocation of this detention center,” said W. David Guice, Commissioner of the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice. “We’ll see more in the coming months from this plan, which advocates investing and capitalizing on previous state financial commitments; enhancing operations by utilizing safer and more secure facilities, and reinvesting cost-savings found in youth development centers back into community-based programs for our youths.”
“The relocation of the Gaston Juvenile Detention Center to its new location on the campus of Stonewall Jackson YDC is an investment in the future,” said Secretary Frank L. Perry of the Department of Public Safety. “It’s an investment in the safety and security of children in our temporary custody, and an investment for the taxpayers at large, since co-locating the detention center on the YDC campus allows DPS to realize service delivery efficiencies through shared support services, especially in the areas of child nutrition and health services.”
The Cabarrus Regional Juvenile Detention Center will begin official operations on Aug. 19. Inclusive of this center, the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice operates six juvenile detention centers statewide.
Juvenile detention centers are secure, temporary facilities where a juvenile will stay while waiting to go to court or until a more appropriate and long-term placement can be arranged. Juvenile detention centers provide quality services and programs for juveniles based on their individual needs, to give youths opportunities for positive behavioral change and development. Services include mental health screening and assessments; medical screening and follow-up care when needed; and basic educational services mirroring the course of study adopted by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.