DEARBORN (WWJ) – Wayne County Executive Warren Evans is calling for a public health state of emergency to tackle persistent problems at the county's juvenile jail.
Evans said during his State of the County address Tuesday evening in Dearborn the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility has become overcrowded and understaffed.
“The situation has become untenable for nearly 140 youth that are currently residing there. Extraordinary action has become necessary,” Evans said in his roughly hourlong speech at the Ford Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.
In addition to overcrowding and understaffing, the facility has also reportedly seen building problems, incidents of staff misconduct and safety concerns.
Evans said as many as 65 juveniles at the facility have already been sentenced by judges, but haven’t yet been placed in other facilities for treatment.
Declaring a public health state of emergency, Evans says, would speed up the process of hiring more staff and providing more therapeutic services.
The emergency order would also set up an incident command center that reports all problems directly to Evans.
The most important action needed, according to Evans, is for the state to provide long-term residential beds.
“We will continue to explore every effort to work with them to expedite that solution. As our partnership with the state progresses, our hope is that we’ll be able to rely on them to do their part and get children out of our facility and into the long-term placements they deserve,” Evans said.
While a public health emergency would be issued under the county’s top official, no such order has been issued at this point.
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