Like many counties across the state, Berks has been struggling for years to address a severe shortage of space at youth detention centers.
The situation has left the county scrambling, sometimes even resorting to having young offenders spend weekends inside the youth probation office.
To address the issue, Berks has partnered with Dauphin, Delaware, Lackawanna and Lehigh counties to reopen and operate its former youth detention center on County Welfare Road in Bern Township that closed its doors in 2012.
And on Thursday, the Berks commissioners decided to ask for some additional help.
The commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to submit a letter to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly requesting a $5 million state capital investment to support the establishment and renovation of what will be known as the Keystone Regional Youth Detention Center.
In February 2024, Berks approved an emergency declaration allowing officials to expedite the restoration of the detention center.
The rapid response to restore the center came after several county officials directly involved in the juvenile criminal justice system sounded the alarm this year that there is a desperate need for access to juvenile detention space and a recent increase in young offenders.
The center is in need of substantial repairs and upgrades. In particular, restoration work is needed to fix water damage caused by a pipe that froze and burst in December 2022.
Chief Operations Officer Kevin Barnhardt told the board Thursday that the letter to legislators is part of a broader initiative seeking a $25 million investment to reopen the facility. He has said previously that the costs to renovate and operate the center will be shared equally among the five counties involved.
Barnhardt has also said that the plan is to create an entity that will oversee the finances and operations at the center with representatives from each participating county.