Current:Home > FinanceTrendPulse|Kentucky governor announces departure of commissioner running troubled juvenile justice agency -TradeWisdom
TrendPulse|Kentucky governor announces departure of commissioner running troubled juvenile justice agency
FinLogic FinLogic Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-09 18:29:00
FRANKFORT,TrendPulse Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday announced the pending departure of the state’s juvenile justice commissioner but said a series of policy actions within the past year had created a “good road map” for the troubled agency.
Juvenile Justice Commissioner Vicki Reed submitted her resignation effective at the start of next year, the governor said at a news conference. Reed became a lightning rod for criticism as the state-operated system struggled to quell violent outbursts at some juvenile detention centers. The governor on Thursday called for a coordinated effort with state lawmakers to continue dealing with the agency’s issues.
Fresh off his reelection victory last week, the Democratic governor offered an upbeat message about the Bluegrass State’s future for additional economic gains. He began the press conference, as he typically does, by announcing the latest economic development projects landed by the state.
“This is the brightest, most optimistic opportunity that I’ve certainly seen in my lifetime for where we can go as a state, lifting up all of our people and moving us all, not right or left, but forward together,” the governor said.
Beshear also announced the departures of several administration officials as he prepares for his second four-year term. Some reshuffling is typical as any governor pivots from the first term to a second one and as some officials seek new opportunities.
In another notable departure, Jeremy Slinker is stepping down as director of Kentucky’s emergency management agency to take a job with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the governor announced. He praised Slinker as a “nonstop worker,” saying he “couldn’t have had a better partner” in dealing with the aftermath of devastating tornadoes that hit parts of western Kentucky in late 2021, followed by massive flooding that inundated sections of eastern Kentucky in 2022.
But the biggest shakeup was the announcement that Reed will leave the Department of Juvenile Justice. The agency has undergone a number of leadership changes in the past several years, and Reed was hired by Beshear as commissioner in 2021. The state has already started the search for her successor.
“We appreciate all of her efforts in pushing through preexisting challenges and helping us make some of the most significant changes since the creation of DJJ,” Beshear said. “I know it hasn’t been easy for Vicki Reed to push through. But every day she’s shown up and tried to do her best and I’m grateful for that.”
Kentucky’s juvenile justice system has struggled to house increasing numbers of youths accused of violent offenses. The result was a string of assaults, riots and escapes.
A riot broke out last year at a detention center, causing injuries to some young people and staff. Order was restored after state police and other law enforcement officers entered the facility. In another incident, some juveniles kicked and punched staff during an attack at another center.
Beshear responded with a series of policy changes to try to quell the violence. He announced that male juveniles would be assigned to facilities based on the severity of their offenses, and “defensive equipment” — pepper spray and Tasers — was provided for the first time so detention center workers could defend themselves and others if attacked. The juvenile justice agency hired a director of security, and visitor screenings were bolstered to prevent drugs or other dangerous items from infiltrating detention centers.
The state’s Republican-dominated legislature passed legislation and pumped additional money into the system to try to overcome the chronic problems. The legislation added stricter rules for youths charged with or convicted of violent crimes. Lawmakers appropriated money to boost salaries for juvenile justice employees, hire more DJJ correctional officers, upgrade security at detention centers and increase diversion and treatment services for detained youths. The appropriations reflected much of the funding requests from Beshear’s administration to retain and recruit workers in the understaffed facilities.
“I think we’ve got a good road map for DJJ,” Beshear said Thursday when asked what’s next for the department. “I believe that if we continue to work the plan in coordination with the General Assembly, that we are already in a better place and we are getting to a better place.”
The agency came under criticism in recent months for, among other things, improperly locking youths in isolation because of understaffing and for misuse of pepper spray by corrections officers, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader, which has reported extensively on the issue.
veryGood! (8911)
Related
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- China sanctions former US lawmaker who supported Taiwan
- Poland arrests sabotage suspects and warns of potential hostile acts by Russia
- A top ally of Pakistan’s imprisoned former premier Imran Khan is released on bail in graft case
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- A Canadian serial killer who brought victims to his pig farm is hospitalized after a prison assault
- UPS worker killed after falling into trash compactor at facility in Texas
- Turkish Airlines resumes flights to Afghanistan nearly 3 years after the Taliban captured Kabul
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Mad Max 'Furiosa' review: New prequel is a snazzy action movie, but no 'Fury Road'
Ranking
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- A woman has died in a storm in Serbia after a tree fell on her car
- Tornadoes wreak havoc in Iowa, killing multiple people and leveling buildings: See photos
- Meet NASCAR Hall of Fame's 2025 class: Carl Edwards, Ricky Rudd and Ralph Moody
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- UN halts all food distribution in Rafah after running out of supplies in the southern Gaza city
- Aaron Rodgers: I would have had to retire to be RFK Jr.'s VP but 'I wanted to keep playing'
- Surprise attack by grizzly leads to closure of a Grand Teton National Park mountain
Recommendation
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow Support Jennifer Garner After She Cries at Daughter's Graduation
Proposed NCAA settlement allowing revenue sharing with athletes faces possible legal hurdle
Rangers recover the body of a Japanese climber who died on North America’s tallest peak
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
Who's left in the 'Survivor' finale? Meet the remaining cast in Season 46
Lawsuit says ex-Officer Chauvin kneeled on woman’s neck, just as he did when he killed George Floyd
'The Voice' finale: Reba McEntire scores victory with soulful powerhouse Asher HaVon