Reports in Kentucky, Maine Lead to New Protections for Kids

CCLP was asked by officials in Kentucky and Maine to conduct assessments of conditions of confinement of youth in those states. CCLP, along with a team of experts, visited four juvenile detention facilities throughout the state of Kentucky, generating reports that outlined concerns about educational and mental health services, staffing shortages, and the use of solitary confinement, among other issues. Since CCLP’s assessment, the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice has increased the availability of mental health facilities, staffed vacant positions, and committed to using CCLP’s findings as a roadmap for reform. As Kentucky’s Public Safety Cabinet Secretary John Tilley stated, “These are folks in the field who are respected all across the country and who are not going to cut us a break on anything – that’s what we expected . . . We want them to set the benchmark for us.”

CCLP’s assessment of Maine’s Long Creek facility also led to a number of improvements to the facility, with more on the way. As Maine Department of Corrections Joseph Fitzpatrick stated, “The audit wasn’t forced on us in any way. We actually welcomed it. And the reason we welcomed it is . . . the more voices we have at the table, the more objective looks at our system, that’s how we get better.”

You can read more coverage of CCLP’s work, including the facility assessment reports, by following the links below.