Wayne Co. Executive Evans cites improvements to troubled juvenile center in annual speech

Dearborn — Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said the county has made improvements, including boosting salaries and adding staff, at the troubled juvenile detention center "during his annual State of the County address Tuesday night.

Last year at the state of the county address, Evans declared a public health emergency at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility to address "the dire circumstances of severe overcrowding and understaffing," he said Tuesday. The move came after a top-level employee at the center was fired and another reassigned after an alleged sex assault of a child at the center.

He cited improvement at the facility while laying much blame on the state.

"All of that was driven by the state of Michigan’s inaction on funding more long-term residential beds, leaving juveniles stranded in our facility and awaiting placement way longer than prescribed by law," he said.Since last year, the county has raised staff salaries at the facility 35% and hired over 100 staff, Evans said. They've also made improvements to enhance the well-being of the center's children to provide "a safer, more nurturing environment."

"To incorporate the voices of young people into our decision-making, we created a student council made up of residents," he said. "Most importantly, we’ve established an in-facility mental health program that gives youths access to the mental health treatment that they’re missing because of the lack of long-term placements and programs."

He cited "significant strides" at the facility and said the county is months away from moving juveniles into a new facility housed in the Criminal Justice Center.

"We've improved everything from food, quality of education and recreation at the facility," Evans said. "... I remain committed to addressing the challenges head-on, working collaboratively to ensure the safety and well-being of our youth and the staff."

The annual state of the county speech is intended to highlight county government achievements in the past year and provide a look at upcoming programs and plans. Evans has been county executive since 2015 and leads a county of 43 communities.

Evans also touched on the Israel-Hamas war in his speech, including praising a recent county measure that called for an immediate cease-fire.

Speaking in Dearborn, home to one of the largest Middle Eastern populations in the United States, Evans talked about his trip to the Lebanon in September and his support of the symbolic call for a cease-fire approved the County Commission in December. Evans said he voted "uncommitted" during the recent Democratic primary in a move by Democratic voters to voice their opposition to President Biden’s support of Israel in its war against the militant group Hamas in Gaza.

"What’s happening in the Middle East is not just unfortunate, it’s brutal and it’s inhumane," he told a crowd of about 1,000 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. "It is completely devoid of the spirit of compassion and global leadership that is so sorely needed right now."

Wayne County is home to more than 300,000 Arab Americans and Muslims, he said. His remarks received brief applause.

Last September, Evans and Deputy County Executive Assad Turfe traveled to Lebanon. "It was one of the most remarkable and fulfilling trips I have ever taken," he said. "Unfortunately, some of the areas I visited are now under siege."

During his trip, he received a top diplomatic reception, meeting with the heads of Lebanese government and U.S. government officials.

Evans said Tuesday he was one of the first politicians to "come out immediately" in support of a cease-fire. He noted it was an unpopular decision.

"What's right is right. And what's wrong is wrong," he said Tuesday night.

Beyond the Middle Eastern conflict, Evans said the long-delayed Wayne County Criminal Justice Center was expected to open by the end of the year.

“We are expecting turnover within a matter of days. That turnover will give us six months to occupy the building and facilities," he said, referring to when the county officially will take control of the facility from developer Bedrock. 

The latest estimated cost to taxpayers for the criminal justice complex is over a half-billion dollars, nearly $100 million more than the original estimate in 2018, according to documents obtained by The Detroit News.

The facility, originally intended to open in summer 2022, remains unopened and the county has not yet taken control of the state-of-the-art complex from private developer Bedrock, the real estate arm for Detroit-based Rock Ventures.

The center will house the jail with 2,280 beds, 26 courtrooms, a 160-bed juvenile detention center and a stand-alone headquarters for the Sheriff's Office and Prosecutor's Office.

Evans also praised efforts to wipe out nearly $700 million in medical debt for county residents facing financial hardship as a result of the debt, calling the upcoming plan "the largest medical debt relief effort in Michigan’s history."

The county plans to partner with R.I.P. Medical Debt, a nonprofit dedicated to retiring medical debt, and local health systems. The measure will affect "thousands of families," he said.

"They will a get a fresh start and peace of mind," he told the crowd.

The county still is developing the program and determining who would be eligible, but it's expected to wipe out much of the debt with $5 million to $7 million because health systems are willing to take pennies on the dollar for the unpaid debt, Evans said. The money would come from county funds, he said. 

Evans said the program could affect "upwards of 300,000 families" and give them "a new lease on life."

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