Madison Co. Commissioners Property Committee meets to discuss plans for juvenile detention center

JACKSON, Tenn. (WNBJ) - Today, the Madison County Property Committee held its monthly planning meeting to discuss a few topics, where two community organizations brought up issues concerning a new juvenile detention center.

“The real issue is in east Jackson. Lane College and the NAACP are saying to the committee today that before they put together such plans to put a center into east Jackson that we need to take another look,” said Harrell Carter, the President of the Jackson-Madison County NAACP.

Board members from Lane College and the president of the Jackson -Madison County NAACP attended the meeting to voice their concerns regarding a new juvenile detention center near the college.

“It’s on Hays Avenue on T.R. White Sportsplex and these facilities would be a bad influence. The optics just don’t fit. The area could be grown into an area where there are more activities, positive activities than putting a jail in the face of those residents in that area,” said Carter.

The property planning committee chair, Jason Compton, explains the need for the new juvenile detention center.

“On a potential remodel or expansion of our juvenile detention center. We have just started those conversations within the last six months. The buildings that our juvenile court and detention center is in, it’s been there for 40 years and there are just some things that need to be done so we can properly take care of the children that are in custody,” said Jason Compton, the chair of property committee of the Madison County Board of Commissioners.

The chair of the committee says the plans for the remodel or new building for the juvenile detention center are not set in stone and he appreciates the communities’ input on the issue.

“It is nice to get the feedback from the community and from that community to take into consideration at this point because if nobody says anything then we just don’t know so it’s nice to get that feedback,” said Compton.

A sub-committee of commissioners had another meeting planned for today at 2 p.m. to discuss the topic further.

39 News will update you as soon as we know more.