Image Credit: Knox County Government & Google Earth
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
The interim director of a problematic juvenile detention center who abruptly quit over the weekend says he resigned because of too many unresolved issues.
In a statement to WVLT, Brian Bivens said that the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center that he was in charge of for less than six months is “not safe, nor is it secure” contradicting comments from Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay who said on Monday that the center was safe, secure, and being well managed.
Last August, Knox County Technical Assistance Services (CTAS) reported that the center needed to address a whopping 94 problems in order to protect the safety and security of the children at the facility.
Bivens, who gave his statement through his lawyer Margaret Held, said, “Of the 94 problems identified in the CTAS report, I could only fix 16. That leaves 76 problems.”
Citing the county’s failure to do right by the children who are held at the center, Bivens stated that his conscience would not allow him to remain involved.
Bivens, former Knox County Sheriff’s Office assistant chief, had overseen operations at the county’s jail in the past. As part of a long range plan that aims to transition control of the juvenile center to the sheriff’s office by next year, Bivens was given the position in order to begin the arduous process of getting the center back on firmer footing.
Richard Bean, the previous 85-year-old superintendent of the juvenile detention center, for whom the facility is named, finally retired following the firing of two employees who spoke out about problems at the center. Bean had been the center’s leader since 1972.
One of the two recently fired employees was the Richard L. Bean’s Juvenile Service Center’s only nurse. Without qualified medical personnel, the center did not meet state law requirements.
The nurse who was fired alerted Jacobs to the fact that medication at the center was going missing, sometimes being given to the wrong children, and not being reported correctly. Medical protocols and documentation is lacking, with no electronic system in place to track health issues or medication.
Bean was the focus of a 2023 ProPublica exposé which he fondly reminisced about the past when beating children in state custody was legal. As times changed, Bean switched over to excessive isolation practices to keep the youth in his care in line.
Last year, a class action suit was filed by Disability Rights of Tennessee accusing several juvenile detention facilities, including Bean’s, of abusing the law regarding seclusion practices.
According to the lawsuit, staff at the Richard L. Bean center put youth into solitary confinement for nearly 24 hours a day, well past the 6 hour limit per day, sometimes for multiple days at a time, and seclusion was used as punishment over trivial matters.
The center’s board of directors is set to meet next week to discuss the next steps in the county taking over the facility.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
