Winnebago County expands juvenile center to enhance mental health services

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center is set to expand to improve mental health services.

“It’s important to me. We want our juveniles who are in the detention center to get the best services they can,” said Court Services Director of the 17th Judicial Circuit Debbie Jarvis.

We have three full-time therapists who are funded through the Mental Health Board. We’re so incredibly grateful for them, but we don’t have space for them,” Jarvis explained. “They are literally in a cell. They are in a pod, and that’s where their offices are because we don’t have room for them.”

The expansion will include a therapeutic space for juveniles, office spaces and classrooms.

We’re utilizing the cafeteria as a classroom currently,” Jarvis continued. “So, we want to be able to have those third set classrooms.”

Funding for the project is being provided by the Winnebago County Mental Health and Court boards. Nearly 2 million has been allocated toward making the expansions.

One board member said it is all about making sure the design and build are perfect.

“The debate was over what process we’d go through to construct it, whether we hire an architect and then send it out to builders to construct what the architect has designed, or do what they call design-build,” said Paul Arena.

Arena said the plans will be further discussed next week.