State and Local Leaders Help to Usher in a New Juvenile Justice Philosophy with the Dedication of the New Edgecombe County Youth Development Center
 
“It is not just a new building, it is a new philosophy,” stated Secretary George L. Sweat of the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, at today’s dedication of the new Edgecombe County Youth Development Center.  Community members, lawmakers, government officials, juvenile justice representatives, and school officials were all on hand to celebrate the dedication of a new building, but to a greater extent to celebrate the philosophical change in juvenile justice the facility will help to bring about.  

This replacement facility will be the foundation of a more therapeutic approach to providing services to our youth and their families, with the intent of a community-oriented juvenile justice system.  By building smaller, community-based facilities throughout the State, the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will be able to more effectively assist youth with the skills they need to become productive citizens in North Carolina’s communities.

Sweat added, “We know bricks and mortar alone do not change a youth’s life.  It will take dedicated, caring, and competent staff building relationships with the youth served by this facility to do that.  We need to ensure that we have the proper staffing in this facility if we are going to change lives.”  Sweat thanked lawmakers present for their commitment to helping make the Edgecombe facility a reality and challenged them to makes sure it would be successful by getting the Department all the staffing it needs.

In addition to the replacement facility being dedicated today in Edgecombe County, three other replacement youth development centers are also near completion, including two other 32 bed facilities in Lenoir County and Chatham County, and a 96 bed facility in Cabarrus County.  The Department has also been authorization to begin construction on one other 32 bed facility in Rockingham County.     

The Department will also call upon community members to volunteer to assist the youth served by this facility.  The Department has seen that youth who have a strong community support structure are much more likely to be successful.  If community members are interested in volunteering, they may contact the Department. 
  
The new Edgecombe County Youth Development Center will house 32 youth in four different eight bed housing units. A blended education-treatment Model of Care will serve as the programming they receive.  

The 32-bed facility will provide employment to Edgecombe and surrounding counties and an estimated operating budget of $4 million to the local community.  The construction budget for the facility was approximately $6 million.