Advocates/Lawmakers Focus On Young Offenders

{Frankfort, Kentucky}...Currently, judges in the state are sending youths who commit noncriminal offenses such as skipping school or running away to detention facilities at one of the highest rates in the nation. Hasan Davis, deputy director of juvenile justice for the state, says runaways and truants don't belong in a facility with juveniles who are charged with offenses such as murder and rape. Kentucky Youth Advocates said studies show Kentucky pays $210 a day for each child it incarcerates, with counties picking up $94 of the expense. Kentucky Youth Advocates and detention officials have teamed together to push for alternatives. Key lawmakers say they are interested in a proposal from Democratic Representative Kelly Flood of Lexington that would reduce the number of juveniles sent to detention centers. The issue could be taken up during the next legislative session in January.