Judges tell TACIR juvenile detention capacity is strained statewide; panel asks for regional facilities and more mental‑health resources

A TACIR panel of juvenile judges and state child‑welfare and behavioral‑health officials told the commission Tennessee’s juvenile detention and treatment network is under stress: judges described difficulty finding pre‑adjudication beds, long transports across county lines, county budget strain, and a rising number of serious offenses involving firearms and mental‑health needs.

Why this matters

Pre‑adjudication detention decisions balance the need to protect public safety and the right of a juvenile to avoid unnecessary incarceration. When judges cannot secure appropriate short‑term or long‑term placements, the panelists said children and communities face safety risks and delayed hearings; counties shoulder significant per‑diem costs for out‑of‑county placements.

What judges described

- Judge Robert (Rob) Filiol (Hamilton County) said the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges believes additional housing capacity is needed statewide and that available data on juvenile placements has improved but is still imperfect.

- Judge Andrew Brigham (Stewart County) outlined pre‑adjudication detention practice: counties pay per‑diem for held juveniles (he cited roughly $250/day in his county for out‑of‑county beds) and small counties’ detention budgets can be exhausted quickly. He described rising use of pre‑adjudication detention for violent acts, school threats and interstate fugitive cases, and noted recent changes such as the Serious Youth Offender (SYO) law that can extend juvenile detention timelines when a jury trial is requested.

- Judge Sheila Calloway (Davidson County) emphasized validated risk assessments and community‑based alternatives to detention (restorative justice, intensive home services, day treatment and mentoring). She noted the average daily cost per youth in her detention center is about $453.70 and urged more investment in evidence‑based community alternatives.

- Judge Christy Little (Madison County) said West Tennessee faces an acute shortage of pre‑ and post‑adjudication beds (the region currently has about 11 secure beds across a large region, she said) and that one local hardware‑secure facility has structural damage following a tornado and may close; she urged a regional approach and additional funding in the 2026 legislative session.

State placement capacity and plans

Jim Lehman (legislative director, Department of Children’s Services) provided a snapshot. DCS licenses 16 juvenile detention centers and four temporary holding resources; total juvenile‑detention‑center bed counts sum to about 636 with temporary holding resources adding approximately 15 beds. On the post‑adjudication side, DCS reported 425 total staffed beds across secured facilities (159 hardware‑secure, 266 staff‑secure) in Tennessee’s network and 606 total juvenile justice youth in custody on September 8, 2025 (145 in hardware‑secure and 215 in staff‑secure facilities on that date; remainder in detention centers or community placements).

DCS is building new facilities funded by the General Assembly: a new 72‑bed staff‑secure facility at Woodland Hills (Nashville area) and a Wilder campus expansion (Somerville) that will add a hardware‑secure facility (~72 beds) and a staff‑secure facility (~48 beds). Staff said the design anticipates the ability to add additional beds if demand increases.

Department of Mental Health programs

Deputy Commissioner Matt Yancey and Nehru Gobin (Office of Housing and Homeless Services) summarized behavioral‑health programs that interface with juvenile justice needs, including crisis services, early‑intervention and juvenile‑focused grant programs. DMHSAS funds programs and providers (PATH, regional facilitators, peer consumer housing specialists) and partners on juvenile diversion work funded through the Juvenile Justice Reform Act (2018) and subsequent funding. Yancey described grant partnerships, diversion programming and training that aim to keep appropriate youth in the community when safe and provide treatment and supportive housing for those committed to DCS custody.

Commissioner questions and follow‑up

Members asked about interstate placement options, per‑diem costs, whether pre‑adjudication placement could be arranged across state lines and the capacity of private and county facilities. Staff said interstate compact rules (ICPC/ICJ) and licensing requirements apply; counties and DCS routinely use out‑of‑county placements but interstate placements raise additional administrative steps. Judges and county officials emphasized mental‑health access (long waits for inpatient care such as La Bonheur and a one‑year wait cited by a panelist) and the need for smaller, regionally sited facilities with clinical capacity.

Panel recommendation themes

Panelists asked the commission to: (1) recognize regional differences in needs and pursue regionally tailored solutions; (2) invest in mental‑health and treatment capacity for juvenile offenders; (3) consider regional secure beds in West, Middle and East Tennessee so judges can place youth nearer home; and (4) sustain or expand community‑based diversion and day‑treatment alternatives where effective.

Next steps

TACIR staff will include the panel’s input in a draft report to be presented for review and comment at the commission’s next meeting.