ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - When a group of four boys escaped from the St. Louis Juvenile Detention Center on Saturday, it was the fourth incident of teens breaking out in the last five months. KMOX wanted to know what's being done to address the issue.
We spoke to the 22nd Circuit Court, which operates the facility, about security procedures.
Three of the four juveniles who escaped the facility – located near the Saint Louis University campus at 3800 block of Enright Ave. – over the weekend are back in custody. But a 17-year-old is still loose, as of Wednesday. He is facing an armed robbery charge.
Some of the escapees were involved in previous escapes, dating back to last fall. Jacob Long, the judicial spokesman, says there are complexities to operating a juvenile detentions center in Missouri.
"There are so many legal requirements and statutes that we have to follow that really dictate how we're able to house juveniles, how we're able to respond to these incidents, the amount of restraint, the level of force that we can and can't deploy," Long says.
The Juvenile Detention Center does not employ corrections officer, instead, workers are classified un-armed youth specialists, trained in trauma informed care. The court is increasing defensive training to respond these difficult situations.
Long says the Juvenile Detention Center is not like other jails, but that doesn't mean security procedures and upgrades are not being looked at. $330,000 was set aside for improvements at the facility last year, after the first recent escape incident happened, according to KSDK.
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