MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner released a statement saying that the Shelby County Juvenile Youth Justice and Education Facility is nearing capacity.
"We currently have 118 children detained at the Youth Justice and Education Center, and we are nearing our capacity. It is disheartening to see such a high number of children in our facility, with the youngest being only 13 years old," Bonner's statement said. "Parents, we urge you to know where your children are and who they spend time with while away from you. Your guidance and involvement can make a significant difference in their lives."
Despite the message from Bonner, the number of juveniles have been trending down, according to charts obtained by ABC24.
The facility began the year with 120 juveniles housed in the facility, that number dropped to 104 last month before the recent uptick.
SCSO officials said that they were working to mitigate overcrowding by relocating individuals and have asked the court for assistance.
The facility has been under fire as of late. The Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis and nine other organizations demanded answers from Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner over a list of serious concerns about the facility.
Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarman said that he issued an order Feb. 28, 2024, directing the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to provide space for in-person visitation, and “while the Sheriff's office initially indicated their readiness to comply with this order,” the visitation has not resumed.
Sugarmon said Juvenile Court had several discussions with the sheriff’s office about re-instating visitation to pre-COVID standards and asked that both in-person and virtual visitation be available, but that in-person be the priority.
The Juvenile Court Judge said a vendor has been selected for the virtual visitation technology, and all information and directives have been provided for the sheriff’s office to implement it.
When it comes to education within the facility, Judge Sugarmon said there is plenty of space for the current youth population at the center, with nine classrooms which can each accommodate 16 youth, for a total of 144. He said the current population is below that number.
However, Sugarmon said the issue comes to staffing. 18 staff members are required to be assigned to the classrooms daily, and “staffing challenges at the Sheriff's Office have impacted the ability to safely allow all youth classroom attendance.” He said only 50-60% of the youth are allowed to attend school currently due to those challenges.
SCSO officials previously announced that visitation would resume at the facility following media reports on the outcry from organizations. SCSO officials told ABC24 that-person visitation was reinstated Saturday, April 20.