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Committee sends juvenile detention options to finance after presentation on River Valley and alternatives
Summary
After a presentation on River Valley Detention Center capacity, costs and alternatives, the Executive Committee voted to send the item to the Finance Committee to develop cost estimates and next steps for either renovating River Valley, using the adult detention facility, or housing youth in out-of-county facilities.
The Executive Committee voted to refer juvenile detention planning and capital needs to the Finance Committee after a presentation from River Valley Detention Center staff about three options: continue operating River Valley with targeted upgrades, move juveniles into the Will County Adult Detention Facility (ADF) with extensive renovations, or house detained youth in other counties’ juvenile facilities.
Why it matters: The county is weighing capital and operating trade-offs among (a) upgrading River Valley, (b) remodeling the ADF to provide sight-and-sound separation for juveniles, or (c) placing youth out of county. The county also currently receives out-of-county revenue for housing other counties’ youth; losing that revenue would affect the fiscal picture.
Presentation and cost estimates: River Valley superintendent Shann McCormick reported that housing Will County youth in other detention centers would cost roughly $2,250 per bed per day (presented as the per-diem bed-space range), and she estimated a roughly $1.3 million total figure tied to bed-space costs in that scenario. McCormick said out-of-county revenue the county received last year was roughly $400,000–$500,000. County staff and oversight agencies provided preliminary retrofit cost estimates: an informal, very rough estimate to retrofit the Will County ADF to meet juvenile sight-and-sound separation and other juvenile-justice standards was about $10 million; making the new courthouse’s courtroom area sight-and-sound separate was estimated roughly at $5 million. River Valley staff presented a package of physical upgrades and maintenance items they estimated at about $1.7 million and recommended increasing juvenile staff to raise capacity from about 30–32 residents to roughly 45–50 residents.
Legal and regulatory constraints: County counsel and the state oversight contacts said juveniles may be housed in the same building with adults only if juveniles are kept fully separate by sight, sound and physical presence, with separate intake, release, medical, school and visitation spaces. Mary (county legal staff) summarized: “they have to be separated for sight, sound, and physical presence,” and said any ADF retrofit would have to meet juvenile oversight standards.
Committee action: Member Trenier moved to refer the item to Finance with a second from Member Freeman; the motion carried on a roll call vote. The Finance Committee will receive a fuller cost analysis and a proposed funding path. Committee members asked for a prioritized list of immediate needs (for example, a new building automation system and changes to visitation to meet contact-visit standards) and a timeline for urgent work to address heating/cooling and life-safety issues the facility currently faces.
Ending: The Executive Committee’s referral sends the juvenile detention options to Finance for cost estimates and budget recommendations. River Valley staff said they will also pursue wireless upgrades to support virtual court and outreach to other counties to increase out-of-county placements if staffing is expanded.
