Public Health Emergency Declared at Wayne County Juvenile Jail Amid Safety Concerns and Overcrowding

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans has declared a public health state of emergency at the overcrowded and understaffed juvenile jail, which will include setting up an incident command center that reports to Evans and will expedite adding staff and providing therapeutic services. The jail can comfortably handle just 80 juveniles, but there were 137 in the facility on Tuesday. The average stay has ballooned from 21 days to 127 days, and one child languished in the facility for over 800 days awaiting a placement. The overcrowding has created a staffing crisis in the facility.