Juvenile Detention Center to expand upon current facility

ST. JOSEPH, Mo (KQTV) -- Juvenile criminal cases have become much more common across the United States over the last few years, and it is no different in Buchanan County.

Because of the uptick in these cases, the county has chosen to upgrade its juvenile detention center at the Buchanan County Academy.

The secure detention center in St. Joseph currently sits at six beds, but after construction is completed, it will have 24 beds.

This upgrade is long overdue, according to several involved with the juvenile detention center.

"The process really started when we had a need to hold more kids than what we were capable of holding," Chief Deputy Juvenile Officer Dan Sharp said. "We had some kids that we would have to transfer to other counties, that we would have to seek help for."

The new facility is set to cost a little under $12,000,000 to construct.

5th Circuit Juvenile Court Officer Linda Meyer said the severity of these juvenile criminal cases has been contributed to by several factors.

"Access to weapons has definitely had an impact on the types of offenses that we're seeing," Meyer said. "Youth who are not engaged in a structured educational setting, and the access and use of illegal substances."

This new detention center is set to have several other improvements beyond the number of beds available.

Ron Hook, Buchanan County western district commissioner, details a few of the additions to the facility.

"There are gonna be schooling classes, because the youth still need to be educated," Hook said. "Conference rooms and other types of offices like that to manage the 24-cell facility."

All children and teenagers who experience negative thoughts are encouraged to reach out for help to avoid potential actions that would lead to a criminal record.

"We do have a plethora of resources in the community that we serve," Meyer said. "It's okay to ask for help, and to ask for guidance."

The first phase of construction on the detention center will end in January of 2027.

The final construction phase will be complete between January and June of 2028.