Amid Shortage Of Juvenile Detention Beds, A Facility In Mecklenburg Sits Empty

By Rachel Crumpler

Mecklenburg County sent nan second-highest number of young group into North Carolina’s detention strategy past twelvemonth — yet it has nary juvenile detention center.

In 2025, 2,186 group were admitted to juvenile detention centers statewide, according to information provided to NC Health News by nan state Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Nearly 1 successful 8 — 243 — came from Mecklenburg County. Only Guilford County sent much young group — 247 — into detention past year; it operates its ain detention center.

Mecklenburg has been without a juvenile detention halfway since 2022, erstwhile Sheriff Garry McFadden closed what was known arsenic Jail North, citing staffing shortages tied to operations astatine nan big jail. At nan time, it was nan state’s largest juvenile detention center, pinch a capacity for up to 72 juveniles. The building is now utilized for administrative offices and training, but nary 1 is housed there.

When it closed, Mecklenburg’s juveniles were sent to detention centers crossed North Carolina — farther from their families, attorneys and community-based support. 

The alteration drew swift disapproval from advocates and criminal justness stakeholders. For nan past 3 years, proponents of reopening person pressed for nan installation to reopen, arguing that section detention improves outcomes for youth.

Frank Crawford, defense head astatine The Children’s Alliance — a web of astir 40 nationalist and backstage organizations that each activity pinch kids and families successful Mecklenburg County — is outspoken astir nan request to reopen nan detention center. 

“We deliberation it’s really important that those [justice-involved] kids are housed locally and that they’re housed wherever we tin person entree to them to do due lawsuit readying and preparing for court, and besides to make judge that they’re getting nan correct kinds of services,” he said.

But McFadden and different section leaders opportunity resuming operations isn’t arsenic elemental arsenic it whitethorn seem; a main facet that contributed to nan closure remains: staffing challenges.

The impasse complete Mecklenburg’s juvenile detention halfway comes arsenic North Carolina’s juvenile detention strategy gets much crowded — pinch much teenagers than disposable beds on immoderate days.

“We are decidedly putting much kids successful detention than we person complete nan past fewer years,” William Lassiter, lawman caput astatine nan N.C. Department of Public Safety who oversees nan state’s juvenile justness system, told nan Joint Legislative Oversight Committee connected Justice and Public Safety past month. 

Once a ‘vibrant, very productive’ facility

The rumor came to nan forefront again connected Jan. 6, erstwhile organization members, advocates and section and authorities officials gathered successful Charlotte for a public forum connected nan closure and what it would return to reopen nan facility. While speakers broadly agreed connected nan worth of a section detention option, officials offered nary clear way forward.

The biggest barrier, McFadden said, is staffing. He said reopening would return 96 detention officers, positive staffing for wellness care, nutrient work and different support. 

“Where are we going to get nan resources?” McFadden asked astatine nan forum. He said he’s still struggling to capable dozens of vacant jobs astatine nan county’s big jail, which has seen a surge successful detainee organization successful caller months.

“Where are we going to get nan funding? But nan main portion that we person to understand is this: How are we going to prosecute 96 people? Where are we going to get 96 group from?” 

Before it closed, nan Mecklenburg juvenile detention halfway was mostly viewed arsenic a exemplary for what juvenile detention could be.

“I wanted to support it open,” McFadden said. “I wish it was unfastened today.”

He described nan erstwhile halfway arsenic a “vibrant, very productive” place, pinch a library, barbershop, classrooms and different programming space. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools operated classrooms wrong nan detention center, which fto section teenagers proceed their acquisition without switching districts. The goal, McFadden said, was rehabilitation — not simply confinement. 

Mecklenburg County’s juvenile detention center, known arsenic Jail North, closed successful 2022. Ever since, advocates person been pushing for it to reopen. Credit: Michelle Crouch / NC Health News

“We had an fantabulous facility, and my knowing was it was a nationalist model,” said Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, who attended nan forum and supports reopening nan juvenile detention center. “That was mostly because of Sheriff McFadden and his attraction connected rehabilitation and intelligence health, and that is what nan due attraction should beryllium successful a juvenile detention center.”

Lassiter echoed that sentiment.

“We loved each nan different services that he provided astatine that facility, and nan kids did really well,” Lassiter said. “We saw improved recidivism rates of those kids that were astatine that facility.”

Proximity, he said, is key.

“The investigation is very clear that a kid served successful a section installation that’s tally astatine nan section level — those kids do better,” Lassiter said. “They get successful problem little again than those kids that get sent to accommodation passim nan state. Why is that? Because they person section support.” 

Since Jail North shuttered, advocates opportunity that support is harder to reach. Family visits whitethorn hap little often. Attorneys walk much clip walking than gathering pinch children. Community-based organizations suffer regular entree to section youth.

“Children being detained distant from Mecklenburg County affects their intelligence health,” said JoLisa Rouse, a Charlotte resident who useful pinch justice-involved youth. She said galore juveniles are already dealing pinch trauma, and being housed farther from location tin make it worse. 

Most of Mecklenburg’s juveniles are now sent to a detention halfway successful Cabarrus County — a facility that is overcrowded and facing a 40 percent unit vacancy rate, according to Lassiter. 

That installation successful Concord was besides astatine nan halfway of a federal suit revenge successful January 2024 connected behalf of 3 teenagers held location for months. It alleged they were routinely locked successful their rooms for arsenic overmuch arsenic 23 to 24 hours a day. State officials denied nan claims of a believe of regular solitary confinement for young people, but they acknowledged strains successful nan juvenile justness system, including unit shortages that person affected really overmuch clip juveniles walk extracurricular their rooms.

“At a really captious constituent successful their growth, they person to beryllium shipped away, and they don’t person entree to those group that are cardinal successful their lives,” Rodriguez-McDowell said. “That is simply a immense loss, not only for them, but for our community. These folks will travel backmost to our community, and nan mobility is, are they going to travel backmost better, aliases are they going to travel backmost much damaged?” 

A strained statewide system

North Carolina has 12 juvenile detention centers — 9 state-run and 3 county-operated pinch authorities oversight and support — totaling 445 beds. Because of staffing shortages, only 401 beds are operational, Lassiter told lawmakers successful December. 

As nan number of young group sent to detention centers rises, immoderate days location are not capable beds, he said.

“Each day, we’re having betwixt 15 and 20 kids that are sleeping connected nan time room level alternatively of successful a room because we don’t person nan capacity to service those young group successful nan facilities,” Lassiter told lawmakers.

In summation to much juvenile placements successful detention centers, nan mean magnitude of enactment has climbed. In 2024, juveniles spent an mean of 39 days successful detention — much than double nan 15-day mean enactment successful 2015, according to Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention data. Young group being tried arsenic adults enactment substantially longer astatine an mean of 200 days, compared pinch 27 days for those successful juvenile jurisdiction. 

“We request nan beds, and we cognize that our young group are suffering because they don’t person nan beds,” Lassiter said.

A floor plan showing nan apical juvenile offenses successful 2024. Motor conveyance break ins and centrifugal conveyance theft are nan only 2 offenses successful nan apical 10 that are felony charges. Credit: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Presentation Slide

Lassiter said he’s exploring ways to grow capacity, whether that’s building a caller facility, adding onto existing ones aliases renovating aged buildings. But he said reopening Mecklenburg’s halfway is 1 of nan astir logical options. 

“It makes complete sense,” Lassiter said. “They person nan largest organization successful nan state. The organization wants it, and there’s a batch of organization support for it, meaning that those volunteers will travel successful and thief these young group beryllium successful. That intends a lot.”

He has offered for years to partner pinch nan county, proposing options specified arsenic leasing aliases purchasing nan installation aliases creating a caller operating statement pinch nan county. 

Juvenile detention is yet a authorities responsibility, not 1 that counties are mandated to provide. Still, authorities rule requires counties to salary half nan costs of lodging their youths, while nan authorities pays nan balance. As Mecklenburg has sent much younker to detention successful caller years, its measure has accrued — from $2 cardinal 3 years agone to $3 cardinal past year, according to Lassiter.

The dollars going to out-of-county lodging costs could alternatively beryllium utilized to support a section facility, Lassiter argued.

“If those kids stayed successful your county, you would get to support that $3 cardinal and we would salary you an further almost $4 to $5 cardinal to location those kids successful Mecklenburg County [along pinch juveniles from different counties]. It’s a nett summation of almost $8 million.”

McFadden, however, astir estimated yearly operating costs could scope $15.6 million, pinch complete three-quarters of that successful staffing costs.

Other counties run juvenile detention centers successful different ways, Lassiter said. In Brunswick County, nan sheriff runs nan installation for illustration Mecklenburg antecedently did. In Guilford and Durham, nan region runs their accommodation done abstracted departments. Mecklenburg could see specified an arrangement, Lassiter said, arsenic location is not 1 exemplary for really it has to beryllium group up.

For Lassiter, nan ongoing uncertainty of whether location is simply a feasible action successful nan region complicates statewide planning.

“It’s nan biggest installation successful nan state, and it will alteration wherever we request further capacity,” Lassiter said. “We could build 1 successful nan Piedmont area if Mecklenburg doesn’t open, but if it does open, past we don’t request different installation successful this area.”

Instead, he said, location would beryllium a request for a installation successful nan eastbound portion of nan state.

“If there’s an action present pinch Jail North, we’re consenting to pump immoderate money into that facility,” Lassiter continued. “But we conscionable request to cognize what nan needs are, arsenic acold arsenic superior to do that, and we request to make judge it’s genuinely a viable action earlier we do that.”

Crawford, who is helping thrust conversations astir uncovering a suitable reopening plan, said nan region manager’s unit is exploring what reopening would return and is consenting to prosecute successful discussions. That’s advancement from nan erstwhile region manager, who Crawford said was not willing successful exploring nan idea.

Michael Bryant, Mecklenburg’s region head since June 2025, said successful an email to NC Health News that he does not person a remark astatine this clip astir a way guardant for reopening nan juvenile detention center.

Is location a way to reopening?

Despite frustration, various stakeholders opportunity they are keeping their power and attraction connected uncovering a feasible solution to reopening what they opportunity is simply a much-needed facility. 

“Everybody wants it,” McFadden said. “Everybody knows that we request it, but really do we get there?”

Jail North, Mecklenburg’s juvenile detention center, closed successful 2022. No juveniles are presently housed astatine nan facility, but advocates dream that will alteration if section and authorities leaders tin floor plan a feasible way to reopening. Credit: Michelle Crouch / NC Health News

For now, location are nary clear answers arsenic to if aliases erstwhile a juvenile detention halfway will reopen successful nan county. Factors that contributed to nan closure — chiefly staffing challenges — remain.

“I didn’t spot solutions astir really would we hole nan obstacles,” Mecklenburg County Commissioner Rodriguez-McDowell said aft nan forum. “So I didn’t consciousness encouraged that it’s going to hap anytime soon.”

But advocates and criminal justness stakeholders opportunity they aren’t going to extremity pressing.

“Every kid successful this organization deserves our maximum,” District Court Judge Aretha Blake, who handles juvenile cases successful Mecklenburg County, said astatine nan forum successful support of reopening. “The mobility coming is, what is our maximum? What are you guys consenting to put connected nan table?

“I person been having this chat for nan past 4 years,” she added. “And it is tiring.”

Republish our articles for free, online aliases successful print, nether a Creative Commons license.