Allegheny County Treasurer and candidate for county executive John Weinstein is calling for the county to create a juvenile detention center better equipped to handle the needs of local kids.
The Shuman Juvenile Detention Center abruptly closed in late 2021 without a clear plan in place to replace it. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services had revoked the county-run facility’s license after numerous violations that it said constituted “gross incompetence, negligence and misconduct.”
Since then, numerous political figures, organizations and researchers have weighed in with proposals to replace Shuman, as well as potential alternatives to it.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Weinstein said the county should continue to run a future juvenile detention facility “and put the resources into it that we need.”
“This cannot be a place for just detention. It must be for development. It must be a place where we can show kids the path to a better future. We can do that. We have the resources, and we have the wherewithal. We just need the vision,” he said. “That's why I'm calling on the county to step up and make the steps happen towards justice, not just towards justice, but towards rehabilitation.”
The next county juvenile detention facility should focus on rehabilitation, diversionary programs and workforce training, he said.
County Council President Patrick Catena said he plans to introduce legislation addressing the county’s juvenile detention needs.
“I'm going to work with County Council on developing legislation to address this and move this forward so that we can … help the children, help get them off the streets, help them get them on the right path moving forward,” Catena said.
On Tuesday, current County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced that the county manager will lead an effort to re-establish a county-run facility or to create a public-private partnership to manage it.
“There is a need for juvenile detention. While the county possibly could operate it and has in the past, it's ultimately the courts who will decide how it will operate [and] what it will operate with,” Fitzgerald told WESA.
His administration released a request for proposals for a private entity to run a detention center on the existing campus last year.
Fitzgerald said officials hope to open a new detention facility “as soon as possible,” but he did not offer a timeline for when that might happen.
