Behind the numbers on county's proposed $15.5M juvenile detention center

As design work begins, county officials lay out need, plans for a 24-bed juvenile detention center next to Cary Home, across from Lafayette Jeff

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MORE ON COUNTY NEEDS, PLANS FOR JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER

Design work started last week on what could be a $15.5 million, 24-bed juvenile detention center on South 18^th Street, next to Cary Home for Children and across from Lafayette Jefferson High School.

Tippecanoe County commissioners on May 20 approved design, legal work and construction management agreements to get rolling on a project, with groundbreaking coming as soon as spring 2025 on a facility that has been discussed for decades.

Here are a few notes on the plan and the needs driving it.

Plans call for a 24-bed juvenile detention center just south of Cary Home for Children.

About the numbers: Rebecca Humphrey, the county’s youth services director, said the plan starts with 12 beds, in six-bed pods, which would cover needs at the moment for the community.

“As our community grows, as you know it’s growing, we're going to increase need at some point,” Humphrey said.