The Mary Davis Home in Galesburg will close indefinitely beginning March 21, according to a press release issued Thursday by the Office of the Chief Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
Chief Judge Raymond A. Cavanaugh said in the release the decision was made in collaboration with the Knox County Board after reviewing best practices from the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.
The closure is authorized under state statute.
The announcement came the day after the Knox County board approved up to $500,000 in emergency funding for the juvenile detention center while it was waiting for state reimbursements.
Following the announcement, Knox County Board Chair Jared Hawkinson told TSPR that closure of the facility is solely under the authority of the chief judge.
"The board has no authority either way but supports the judicial decision," Hawkinson said.
The closure also comes amid an ongoing federal class action lawsuit against the Mary Davis Home, and months after a federal judge ordered administrators to make immediate reforms and end the use of solitary confinement.
The lawsuit, filed by ACLU of Illinois, challenges confinement policies at the Mary Davis Home. Named in the lawsuit are Mary Davis Home Administrator Wendi Steck; Director of Court Services Bridget Pletz; Chief Judge Cavanaugh; and Knox County.
In a statement, ACLU of Illinois said the organization was "pleased to hear" that "young people no longer will be exposed to cruelty of solitary confinement and lack of meaningful mental healthcare" at the Mary Davis Home.
"We will continue to investigate and monitor to ensure the closure is permanent," the statements reads. "While the facility is closing, the harms resulting from the conditions at Mary Davis Home will last for decades."
This week, Mary Davis Home administrators had filed an updated mental health plan for the youth detained in the facility after a previous plan was rejected by a federal judge.
The Mary Davis Home is under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, receives funding from the state, and is affiliated with Knox County, which owns and maintains the building and pays some employee salaries.
In the release, Cavanaugh said the cost of meeting state mandates for juvenile care, education, and physical and mental health treatment has placed a significant burden on local taxpayers. Those responsibilities, he said, are better managed by larger municipalities or the state.
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