RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) -- City officials told CBS 6 that the state voted unanimously to re-open Richmond's Juvenile Detention Center, which shuttered its doors in April 2012 due to multiple violations.
The center operated at its present location from 1996 until it was closed on April 27, 2012, following allegations of broken equipment, lack of staff training, and improper care of the residents.
The NAACP first held a press conference on Oct. 24, 2011, describing the conditions at the center as “abominable, unsafe, and inexcusable.” The group’s findings prompted other agencies to get involved.
Twice in three years, state juvenile justice inspectors put the 60-bed facility on probation for poorly trained staff and problems with locks, cameras and other safety and security issues.
The NAACP pushed for investigations and fixes.
“We will get to the bottom of this issue and hold those responsible accountable to the highest degree,” Mayor Jones said in January 2012.
A current press release from the mayor’s office states that Jones called for an overhaul of the city’s RJDC operations, named an interim director of the city’s Department of Justice Services and the City has worked to reestablish the facility.
Today the state approved the city’s application to open a new program on the site of the old RJDC.
CBS 6 will continue to follow this story.
The archive of CBS 6 coverage of the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center can be found here: http://wtvr.com/tag/richmond-juvenile-detention-center/
