Juvenile Corrections

Located on the second floor of the Courthouse, the Blount County Juvenile Detention Center is a thirty-three bed hardware secure facility. It is used to detain youth who have been sentenced or are awaiting disposition by Juvenile Court.

Tel: (865) 273-5959

Staff

The facility is operated 24 hours a day and is staffed by twenty-five Sheriff Deputies. Each deputy receives training specific to supervision of youth in custody. In addition, the facility is available for use on a per diem basis by Federal, State and County agencies. The facility is inspected on a regular basis by the Department of Children’s Services, the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, the Department of Education, the Fire Marshall and the Health Inspector among others.

Mission

With emphasis on accountability, education and rehabilitation, the mission of the Detention Center is to encourage positive pro-social behaviors and attitudes that instill a sense of good will, positive self-esteem, and community citizenship characteristics.

Upon intake, each youth is assessed for medical, emotional, and educational needs. Immediate health and emergency services are available when required and non-emergency issues are communicated to Juvenile Court to insure the needs of the youth are addressed.

Educational Opportunities

In cooperation with the Blounty County School System, one full-time and one part-time teacher provide educational opportunities to include life skills training, continuation of current studies from the youth’s parent school, and/or GED preparation and testing.

Youth Stats

Approximately 950 youth are processed through the facility each year and a length of stay ranging from a few hours to one year. Information pertaining to individual youth is confidential in nature.