Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Center temporarily closed, officials working to reopen it

Even before the state issued four violations against the Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Center this week, officials said things were rough.

“We had a bunch of things happen at one time,” said Westmoreland County Controller Jeff Balzer.

Balzer is also the chairman of the County Juvenile Detention Board.

He said with staffing shortages, attempted renovations to interior doors and security, and state investigations, the best decision in June was to temporarily shut down.

It was staff shortages, especially in connection with one incident, that led to two state violations.

“One of the children had to be escorted to the hospital,” Balzer said. “In doing so, there weren’t enough people left with the people behind, so we had to lock them down.”

The juveniles were locked in their rooms for about four hours.

“The need of that one child at that moment outweighed the group,” Balzer added. “We can lock them down for four hours, he needs to go to the hospital now.”

The juvenile detention center also got two other violations because one of the teens had access to a vape pen inside the facility.

Despite these violations -- Balzer says he and other county leaders want to see the juvenile detention center opened back up, especially because it costs money to be shut down.

“We’re paying $800 a day for one of our people to be housed in another county, Balzer said. “If I have the facility, then Westmoreland County will be paid $800 per day.”

Balzer said staffing hasn’t gotten better, but the county is working to get more people hired and get the work on the interior doors and security upgraded before reopening.

“We’re committed,” Balzer told Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek. “We want to make this work, and we owe it to our constituents to make sure that this is a good, safe place when their children are in trouble, they come here, and it doesn’t get worse.”

Even though he said ‘goal dates’ are arbitrary, Balzer said he’d like to see movement at the juvenile detention center in six months.

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