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Kosciusko County and juvenile judges from nearby counties are looking closely at luring a private juvenile corrections centers to northcentral Indiana - possibly in Pierceton.
Officials are scheduled this week to meet with representatives of Corrections Corporation of America about constructing a facility in northcentral Indiana.
Superior Court I Judge Duane Huffer has been working with local officials and representatives from nearby counties to address the need for a juvenile justice center.
The company operates numerous facilities across the United States, including one in Vincennes.
Huffer was impressed after taking a tour recently with Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed, Sheriff Al Rovenstine and personnel director Ron Robinson.
"If you could see this facility in Vincennes ... They do psychological profiles. They can take care of health needs. The idea of the juvenile system is rehabilitation, not retribution. That's the whole goal, is to rehab," Huffer said.
Huffer said he's been talking with officials from Fulton, Marshall, Whitley, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Huntington and LaGrange counties about the need for a regional facility.
A central location to serve many of those counties would be around Pierceton.
The need for some type of nearby juvenile detention center has been an issue of concern for police, courts and parents and one of the main issues mentioned by candidates for sheriff in the upcoming election.
"It's in the taxpayers' interest to have a private facility rather than going to the capital expense of a county facility and then the long-term expense of providing the facility with personnel," Huffer said.
Kosciusko County uses nearby regional facilities sparingly.
In 1997, about 30 juveniles from the county were housed in detention centers. Most of those went to Wood Youth Center in Fort Wayne or St. Joseph Juvenile Justice Center in South Bend.
But those sources are expensive and the county availability is never definite.
Current daily rates to house a juvenile in those facilities are around $140.
Allen County, which operates Wood, wants to establish an agreement in which the county pays $5,000 plus $70 per day to reserve one bed.
If the company, known as CCA, constructs a facility, Huffer said he assumes the charge would be near $100 a day.
The facility would serve boys and girls. To be feasible, Huffer said he assumes it would likely have a minimum of 100 beds.
A nearby facility would be a relief for law enforcement officers who have to take time to transport the juveniles and might otherwise be patrolling or working on investigations.
The facility could house juveniles awaiting disposition and those who have received a sentence, Huffer said.
The Vincennes operation provides transportation, but that service would be up to individual counties, Huffer said.
Putting a dent in juvenile crime by having a nearby juvenile facility might be too lofty of an expectation, but Huffer said it would "provide another tool" in working with young offenders.
Privately operated detention centers have become a trend in recent years because of the cost and expertise needed in planning, building and operating a juvenile detention center.
