Senate endorses juvenile justice bill

Senate endorses juvenile justice bill February 19, 2025

Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, speaks Wednesday on Senate Bill 111 on the Senate floor. The measure would expand and improve services for high-acuity youth in Kentucky’s juvenile justice system. A high-resolution photo can be found here.

FRANKFORT — A bill to expand and improve services for justice-involved, high-acuity youth received unanimous endorsement Wednesday from the Kentucky Senate. The legislation is part of a multi-year effort to reform juvenile justice in the commonwealth.

Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, testified that the bill he’s sponsoring – Senate Bill 111 – stems from a working group dedicated to the complicated issue.

“Senate Bill 111 is another product of the DJJ working group established by leadership in both chambers two years ago. The bill is also very much a collaborative effort with the Justice Cabinet, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and the Kentucky Hospital Association,” he said.

Carroll said the bill would create a protocol for determining the proper location to provide mental health treatment to youths. It would also establish enhanced rates for inpatient psychiatric hospitals and pediatric teaching hospitals caring for youths.

In addition, SB 111 would create a process to remove youths who commit acts of violence or incite violence at a treatment facility, and it would create a process to move youths to a lower level of care if a physician determines that the current level is no longer required.

The bill also calls for the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet to construct a specialized mental health facility to provide residential treatment for high-acuity youth in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services would need to contract with a public teaching university to provide clinical services to the facility.

SB 111 also contains language addressing confidentially of juvenile records and other provisions, Carroll said.

The original bill included provisions to construct two female juvenile detention facilities, but that language was removed from the bill through a floor amendment Wednesday.

Carroll said the facilities are still being planned, but the current legislative session is a non-budget year. He expects the facilities could be broached again during the 2026 legislative session.

Currently, females are housed in a single facility, and there are times when it has been at capacity. Counties are often transporting females across the state, he said.

“We do plan to move forward with that. But there is, right now, a $90 million price tag on these two facilities, and we will continue to work in that direction,” he said.

Sen. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville, thanked Carroll and said she wants to help solve juvenile justice related challenges. She expressed concern about a high turnover rate of juvenile justice commissioners and other cases of instability, which can have a negative effect on the youth.

Herron said she has spent several years working with justice-involved youth who are in the foster care system, and that they respond to their environment.

“I think we have a huge responsibility to continue to analyze, review and look at, from the top to bottom, the needs of our kids who are justice-involved. And it’s not just the kids who are in facilities, but it’s also the kids who are in communities, the kids when they’re coming home to re-entry,” she said.

Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville, said she has heard from constituents about juvenile justice issues.

“I stand to thank the people who have been working on this bill. This is an issue that I’ve had constituents come to me about,” she said. “This is an issue in our state that is of high significance, and I really want to say that this is something I think we’re moving forward with and thank you.”

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https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#SB111021925