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Douglas County hears DCYC report showing persistent racial disparities and long stays; commissioners spar over funding priorities
Summary
A November DCYC report presented admissions, average length of stay and racial disproportionality (Black youth 59% of admissions; youth of color 91% of population). Commissioners debated whether past capital spending on an empty facility diverted resources from active programming, while staff flagged group-home capacity constraints.
Douglas County commissioners on Dec. 9 heard a detailed November 2025 report on the Douglas County Youth Center (DCYC) that documented admissions, length-of-stay and persistent racial disparities.
Superintendent Rondy Woodard told the board that DCYC had 54 admissions in November (47 with juvenile-court charges, 2 charged as adults and 5 from other jurisdictions). Woodard said the average time to release across all youth in November was 69 days and that DCYC’s average daily population (ADP) for the month was 80. The report highlighted racial disproportionality: in November Black youth accounted for 59% of admissions and the DCYC population was 91% youth of color.
Woodard also presented length-of-stay detail: as of Dec. 3, DCYC housed 77 youth (76 Douglas County youth on a different snapshot) with varying average lengths of stay; 20 youth had been detained six months or longer, and 50% of youth pending release were awaiting group-home placement. Woodard said group-home capacity is constrained and named commonly used providers such as Radius and Canyon State; he said some facilities were not accepting placements until early next year.
Commissioners responded with sharply different emphases. Commissioner Kavanaugh (and others) criticized prior capital spending on a climate-controlled facility across the street from the youth center that remains empty, calling the spending a “white elephant” and arguing the county should redirect resources to the active facility on 42nd Street. Kavanaugh said that despite “tens of millions” in spending, the ADP and demographic patterns have not changed. Commissioner Rogers and others pushed back, noting programming gains, that the facility meets state standards and that there have been some improvements; Rogers said programming has produced movement for some youth. Multiple commissioners asked staff to follow up with probation and placement partners to better understand the 23 youths in detention for technical or status offenses rather than new charges.
What’s next: Commissioners requested follow-up on placement and programming gaps and noted capacity constraints for group homes; the DCYC report will inform future budget and program discussions.
