The headline tells you most of what you need to know: “KY juvenile justice guards laughed as they pranked mentally ill boy with a flushing toilet.”
In the story published earlier Monday, Herald-Leader reporter John Cheves writes another chapter in what feels like an endless and shocking litany of abuse, degradation and torture of children in our juvenile justice system. It has been so shocking, in fact, the U.S. Department of Justice announced in May that it’s investigating widespread abuse and neglect.
The Warren Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Bowling Green appears to be a particular hellhole of depravity. Reviewing records obtained through the Kentucky Open Records Act, Cheves has uncovered a contraband smuggling scheme that led to felony charges against three employees, and another case where guards pepper-sprayed an asthmatic teen.
So, in an environment of such rank sadism, perhaps we should not be surprised by what Cheves found next. It involved a boy suffering multiple psychiatric disorders, developmental delays and anger control issues who was locked in an isolation cell for 24 hours in late April.
“In the control room of the Warren Regional Juvenile Detention Center, in Bowling Green, laughing guards were using a computer to remotely flush the boy’s toilet over and over for 26 minutes as they watched his emotional outbursts on security video, according to a report issued in June by internal investigators with the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.”
The culture was so bad that a lieutenant knew the behavior should stop, but said she “didn’t think they respected her authority enough to stop on her orders.”
So instead of interceding, she wrote an anonymous tip that was later followed up.
In some ways, the system worked: the incident was investigated and the lieutenant and officers were fired.
But let’s hit rewind: A lieutenant who recognized her subordinates’ poor behavior had to offer an anonymous tip to superiors because she didn’t feel the guards respected her enough for them to stop.
But how does such a culture get created and thrive in the first place?
And why is it continuing to spiral out of control?
Gov. Andy Beshear says his administration is on top of cleaning up the system, but he’s been saying that for one term already, and clearly the problems have continued, as evidenced by Cheves’ reporting.
When Cheves asked to speak to the newest juvenile justice commissioner. Randy White, the Beshear administration continually said no, preferring to communicate through emailed statements instead. So, Cheves tracked White down to a hearing in Frankfort, where to his credit, he spoke frankly about the problems.
We have frequently criticized the Beshear administration for its lack of transparency. Thankfully, some of its employees understand that the experts they employ should be allowed to speak to the public, even in an impromptu interview.
But for a governor who has already had one term to address these problems, it’s unconscionable that stories like these continued to seep into the public view.
These teens are entrusted in the state’s care. The juvenile justice system is the final stop for some of our most troubled, most vulnerable youth.
Clearly, not enough is being done to protect them.
What we see now is a system that appears content to just throw them away.
We don’t believe Gov. Beshear and his administration think that should happen. But Kentuckians deserve better.
These detained teens deserve better.
All of us demand evidence Beshear is changing the agency’s culture so that no one thinks it’s acceptable to mistreat a child.
And nobody finds it funny.
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