Taft Youth Center, Bledsoe County, TN

House of Representatives

State of Tennessee

Rep. Jim Cobb Special Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 22, 2011, Nashville

Commissioner O’Day with Department of Children’s Services makes recommendation to Governor Haslam for the closing of Taft Youth Development Center in Bledsoe County.

Legislators request Governor to tour Taft Youth Development Center in Bledsoe County before the decision is made to permanently close the facility doors.


Dear Governor Haslam,

As you prepare to hear from each department on their proposed budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, we are expressing our disagreement with the Department of Children's Services’ budget and Commissioner O'Day's proposed closing of the Taft Youth Center in Bledsoe County.

We feel the closing is not in the best of interest of the State of Tennessee, Bledsoe County, the communities in the surrounding counties; nor, the youth placed at Taft. We also believe that other cost-saving measures and cuts could be implemented before taking the drastic action of closing Taft.

Taft Youth Development Center is the most restrictive facility for juvenile offenders. Taft's population is comprised of the more serious and older delinquents.  The sentences are more adult oriented or they are serving a third commitment. Also, if offenders have exhibited severe behavioral problems at one of the other Youth Development Centers in which they can not control the offender, it results in the offender being transferred to Taft.

Taft Youth Center provides basic academic subjects, vocational training in ten subjects, special education services plus GED preparation and testing for the State's most violent and older youth offenders.

Taft has an average daily population of 95 male offenders and currently has 172 employees from Bledsoe, Cumberland, Van Buren and Rhea counties with 30 staff vacancies, with approximately twelve of the employees from Rhea County.

We have heard the cost to run Taft is more per day than the other Youth Development Centers. However, the daily population at Taft was capped lower than other centers in order to better control the older aggressive population. We feel this has skewed the average cost per offender at Taft when compared to the other Youth Centers with higher populations.

According to the Department of Children's Services budget for FY 2011-12, Taft had an actual success rate for FY 2009-10 of 84%.  This number represents the youth released that remained in the community setting for 12 months and did not return as a result of a delinquent offense. Taft's success rate was the highest of any other Youth Development Center. Their success rates were 82.8%, 69.3%, 81.5% and 74.8%.

Taft houses the roughest of the youth offenders. Other youth development centers send their most aggressive youth to Taft because they cannot handle them. This shift of burden to Taft and to the general society is inappropriate and dangerous.

We strongly urge you to join us on a tour of the Taft Youth Center before you make a final decision on your budget. We want you to see the facility first-hand and the difference that is being made daily by the staff at Taft Youth Center.

Sincerely,


 

Cameron Sexton – State Representative  25th House District	Eric Stewart - Senator 14th Senate District
Bill Harmon  – State Representative 37th House District	Jim Cobb – State Representative 31st House District

Charlotte Burks – Senator

15th Senate District