Staffing issues challenge reopening of Mecklenburg County juvenile detention center

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Mecklenburg County’s Sheriff said state leaders want him to recruit, hire and train the employees needed to reopen the county’s juvenile detention center.

Jail North closed in 2022 because of COVID-related staffing restrictions. 

Sheriff Garry McFadden thinks it’s an unrealistic ask. The sheriff said he would need to hire nearly 100 detention officers, along with 20 to 25 support staff members, to be able to open and operate Jail North. The request comes at a time when the sheriff’s office is already having a hard time recruiting.

It’s been about three years since Jail North was operational. State leaders want to reopen their doors, as North Carolina faces a shortage of bed space at juvenile detention centers.

It’s an ask that Charlotte City Council members also brought up at a meeting earlier this month.

“We do need to reestablish a local juvenile detention center,” said Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera.

When it was open, Jail North housed an average of 51 inmates every day. Now, they’re spread out among various juvenile detention centers across the state. One of those is Cabarrus Regional, which currently has a staff vacancy rate of 40%.

“Our youth are being transported hours away, and that is separating them from their support system, from their family, just from schools and services,” said Ajmera. “We need to ask the general assembly to invest in our local juvenile center with wraparound supportive services.”

A spokesperson with the sheriff’s office said that since juvenile crime is an ongoing concern, state officials believe reopening the facility would help the growing need for juvenile detention space in Mecklenburg County.

Sheriff McFadden clarified that the state’s request is not a requirement for his office and will require more work than just someone writing a check.

“If the state is serious about doing this right, it must invest in people, not promises,” he said, in part, in a statement. “That means developing a strong recruitment campaign and a dedicated team to help our staff hire, train, and prepare qualified juvenile detention officers. Only then can we have a real, honest discussion about reopening the facility. Anything less would simply repeat the same mistakes and conversation of the past.”

McFadden claimed that taking on this responsibility could compromise the current efforts to strengthen staffing levels and safety within the facilities he currently operates.