Six youth detention facilities across Kentucky have been found to meet all compliance standards for the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act. All 27 State Department of Juvenile Justice facilities and two contracted residential sites will have undergone audits by the end of next summer.
LaShawna Harris with the Department for Juvenile Justice says the review covers hiring practices, training, and even camera surveillance. Harris says although six Kentucky facilities received a score of 100 on their assessments, that isn't to say there haven't been any cases of sexual misconduct. "Of course things do happen from time to time, but it doesn't mean that the department is not diligent in their approach in trying to prevent those incidents from occurring," said Harris.
Harris says the ongoing goal is to prevent, detect, and respond to any type of sexual abuse or misconduct. She says Kentucky is one of the first states seeking validation for a 'vulnerability assessment' technique. "It helps us discern if they're (youth) vulnerable and when the scores do come back as vulnerable, we do make sure that they are placed in environments that are safer for their vulnerabilities," added Harris.
The compliance officer says the focus is on abuse among youth and between youth and staff. The facilities earning 100 percent compliance are the Fayette County Juvenile Detention Center, Murray Group Home, Westport Group Home, Green River Youth Development Center, Owensboro Treatment Center and Lincoln Village Juvenile Detention.
