Sep. 27—The Limestone County Commission has arranged to have access to beds at the Cullman County Juvenile Detention Center for up to a 72-hour hold, an arrangement the Morgan County Commission also has.
“The juvenile officers and the court system had brought to my attention that there were there were times that someone did not need to be put in for an extended period of time,” said Limestone County District 2 Commissioner Johnny Turner. They just needed to be separated from the family, from the situation, so that everyone could cool down over the weekend or over a day or two, and then reintegrate everyone back together,” said Limestone County District 2 Commissioner Johnny Turner.
“If they just needed a short-time facility to hold them, we really didn’t have an option for that.”
Turner said counties cannot put juveniles in the jail with adults.
At last week’s meeting, the Limestone County Commission approved an agreement with the Cullman County Juvenile Detention Center for beds up to a 72-hour hold for $155 each day a bed was used. The county recently added a third bed at the Tennessee Valley Juvenile Detention Center in Tuscumbia for long holds.
“It is a pay-as-used, as opposed to Tuscumbia where we pay a yearly fee for the beds,” Turner said. “… It’s possible that we may not use it at all this upcoming budget year. If that’s the case, we won’t have any cost into it. But should we have the time that the judge needs to use it, or the juvenile probation officer needs to do something with it, we’ve got another option.”
Turner said acquiring space in Cullman was a collaborative effort.
“The juvenile officer had followed up with me a couple of times and a couple of the judges had followed up with me a couple of times,” he said. “They felt like it was another option they could have in their arsenal if it was needed.”
Cullman was the best fit for the county to use, Turner said.
“Location was very important, cost, and whether they were available,” he said. “Cullman is … not that far away. The cost is reasonable, and other counties in north Alabama, I think Morgan County, contracts with them as well. So, it appears to be one that’s working well.”
Limestone County Commission Chairman Collin Daly said the short-hold beds could come in handy.
“What we’ve run into in the past is a couple of domestic calls on the weekend or something and we don’t have anywhere to stick a kid,” he said. “You cannot put them in the regular jail. It gives us the opportunity to let things calm down for a few days where they can get everything situated. A 72-hour hold gives us another option for somebody.”
Daly said he feels obtaining the short-hold space is important.
“I think it’s really important because a lot of times you have domestic calls. Kid can’t get along with the parents, parents can’t get along with the kid or something,” he said. “This gives us an opportunity to put them somewhere until maybe DHR (Department of Human Resources) can come in or the (Limestone County Child Advocacy Center) or whoever. It gives us an opportunity to not put the child back in a dangerous place or put the parents or guardian in a dangerous place.
“You have to release them if you don’t have anywhere to put them.”
Morgan County Commission Chairman Ray Long is the board president of the Tennessee Valley Juvenile Detention Center in Tuscumbia.
“We have three beds (in Tuscumbia) all the time,” he said of Morgan County. “We also have a contract with Cullman. I don’t think we’ve ever used Cullman, but we have them available if we need them. Tennessee Valley Juvenile Detention Center I think can only hold 25. So, sometimes they get right up there close to that 25; they’ve had 25 several times. So, you’ve got to have that alternate place to go.”
Long said their beds in Cullman would also just be temporary. He said he believes they have had a contract with them for a couple of years.
“I can’t remember us every using them, but we have that contract with them if we ever need it,” Long said. “If we need a bed, (Tuscumbia) is where we want them to be. But if they get full and don’t have the room, then we need a place to put them. We would use (Cullman) if Tuscumbia was full. That’s where the 72 hours comes in. Once a bed opens up (in Tuscumbia), we’ll move them over.”
—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.