The measure, known as Bill 14,<\/a> establishes an intergovernmental agreement with Berks, Dauphin and Lackawanna counties to create the Southeast Youth Detention Agency, which will operate a secure detention facility in Berks County.<\/p>\nOfficials announced Wednesday that Delaware County will also be joining the mix, but it had not yet been included in the formal agreement voted on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
Under the 20-year, four-county agreement, each county will pay one-quarter of the facility\u2019s operating costs, estimated at $10.5 million annually, or roughly $2.6 million per county. The center is expected to include at least 40 beds, with 10 beds allocated to each participating county. Cost would change as more counties become involved.<\/p>\n
Officials said the plan is intended to address a statewide shortage of juvenile detention beds and provide more consistent, locally controlled placements for youth who require secure detention.<\/p>\n
Supporters argued the current system, which relies on contracts with multiple facilities, is unreliable and limits the county\u2019s oversight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re buying beds, but we have no say in programming, visitation or services,\u201d said Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Kevin Miller. \u201cThis becomes a true partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have full faith this is going to be a good thing,\u201d said Commissioner Antonio Pineda.<\/p>\n
Miller said juveniles are often moved between facilities, sometimes several times in a year, creating instability for families and logistical challenges for courts and law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the best plans we\u2019ve had since we closed our facility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Speaking in support of the center, President Judge Douglas G. Reichley said the county needs a \u201csecure, reliable and responsibly managed\u201d short-term detention option for youth accused of serious offenses.<\/p>\n
He said most stays last about a month while cases are resolved.<\/p>\n
Commissioners supporting the measure also pointed to concerns about private providers, including past issues with the Abraxas facility in Berks County.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Commissioner Chair Geoff Brace advised against relying on non-governmental facilities for county needs.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Ron Beitler said the bill represented the \u201cbest product possible brought to us by our experts in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
County Executive Josh Siegel has said the regional model reflects both a shortage of available beds and declining detention numbers, with Lehigh County averaging about five youths per day in detention.<\/p>\n
He said Wednesday that incarceration is not the \u201cend goal for the youth in our care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, it\u2019s \u201cjust the beginning of that continuum of recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opponents, however, questioned the long-term commitment and broader philosophy behind the plan.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Jon Irons voted against the measure, arguing it prioritizes incarceration over addressing root causes such as poverty and lack of resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an investment in a system of state violence,\u201d Irons said. \u201cWe should be investing in housing, food, education and prevention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Irons and others also raised concerns about the 20-year term and the county\u2019s ability to adapt to changing needs.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Sarah Fevig acknowledged the agreement is not perfect but said it offers a more stable and cost-effective solution than the current system.<\/p>\n
Public comment during the four-hour meeting reflected similar divisions.<\/p>\n
One commenter, Ettore Angelo, a criminal attorney, criticized the process and called for stronger adherence to basic governance principles.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue diligence and transparency are the most basic responsibilities you have,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t follow them, it invalidates what you do later on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley said a decision of that magnitude should be supported by a comprehensive analysis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis should come with a full due diligence binder [including] financial projections, alternatives and legal analysis\u2026so everyone is working from the same information,\u201d Pinsley said.<\/p>\n
Several speakers said the county moved too quickly and failed to adequately involve the community, particularly families impacted by the juvenile justice system.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re telling us what the community needs, but the community doesn\u2019t even know about this,\u201d one speaker said.<\/p>\n
Others opposed the plan on philosophical grounds, arguing it prioritizes incarceration over prevention and community investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t build our way out of this,\u201d one resident said.<\/p>\n
Some speakers shared personal experiences, describing lasting harm to youth and families.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son did not come home the same,\u201d one commenter said. \u201cIt broke our family apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet others said incarceration can teach structure that combats what can be a chaotic home life. Several professionals in the juvenile justice system said secure detention remains necessary in a small number of cases.<\/p>\n
A probation officer with 30 years of experience said diversion programs have reduced detention significantly, but serious cases still require secure placement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve come a long way, but there are cases where detention is necessary to protect the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A licensed clinical social worker with the county said more than half the youth in the system have significant mental health needs and that current resources are insufficient.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen detention is necessary, it needs to be safe, appropriate and available,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The facility is planned for a Berks County-owned site in Leesport and will be governed by a 12-member council representing the participating counties.<\/p>\n
In other business, commissioners also approved a paid parental leave policy<\/a> that would provide eight weeks of leave for eligible county employees, aimed at improving recruitment and retention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ALLENTOWN, Pa. \u2013 The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved an ordinance authorizing a regional partnership…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173714,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,20633,349,77917,50999,77920,77919,9570,16438,77918,433,2149,6192,28,9571,40308],"class_list":{"0":"post-173713","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allentown","8":"tag-allentown","9":"tag-allentown-headlines","10":"tag-allentown-news","11":"tag-antonio-pineda","12":"tag-berks-county","13":"tag-berks-county-residential-center","14":"tag-detention-center","15":"tag-douglas-g-reichley","16":"tag-ettore-angelo","17":"tag-jon-irons","18":"tag-josh-siegel","19":"tag-kevin-miller","20":"tag-lehigh-county","21":"tag-lehigh-county-board-of-commissioners","22":"tag-mark-pinsley","23":"tag-pennsylvania","24":"tag-ron-beitler","25":"tag-sarah-fevig"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}