State juvenile justice department to construct $82.7 million detention facility in East Macon

Georgia’s Department of Juvenile Justice plans on building an expanded 98,000-square-foot facility at the edge of East Macon, citing a need for updated facilities and cost savings.

The department requested $82.7 million to add an 80-bed facility to an existing all-girls detention facility. The request was reflected in Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget proposal.

After the budget passed through both chambers, lawmakers only approved $3.6 million for design fees. Gov. Kemp signed the state’s 2026 budget last Friday.

Funds for the design fees were pulled from the Capital Projects Fund, which is managed by the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission. The project would be entirely state-funded, according to the proposal.

The 98,000-square-foot expansion includes 80 rooms with individual showers, a dining hall, a medical wing, a gym, an amphitheater and additional classrooms, according to a department document submitted to the state budget office obtained by The Melody.

The department’s budget proposal notes the facility’s age, stating that utility and mechanical systems have “far exceeded life expectancy.” 

The proposal also states that the building was designed for housing large populations like an adult correctional facility, which has “negatively impacted” the needs of a youth population.

“This project aims to enhance safety and security while providing a more therapeutic environment for the youth,” Allen wrote.

The site in East Macon is made up of two different facilities — the Youth Development Campus and the Regional Youth Detention Center. The RYDC houses kids for shorter terms while the YDC houses kids for longer stays. 

The expansion would fulfill the department’s concept for a “hybrid” facility, creating a single campus to serve children confined in both facilities. Merging the facilities would allow for resource sharing and cost savings, according to the budget proposal.

The Macon YDC is the only long-term DJJ facility in the state for girls. The facility started as the Macon Training School for Girls in 1964 before it was renamed to the Macon Youth Development Center in 1972. 

The state department of juvenile justice took over the facility from the county in 1974. 

According to the department’s 2024 annual report, an average of 62 girls are housed across all of Georgia’s juvenile facilities, which accounted for only 8.8% of the juvenile system’s population.

“It is imperative that the environments in which we house youth are designed to foster rehabilitation and community reentry,” the DJJ’s proposal read. “As one of our oldest facilities and only female facility for long-term youth, the Macon Youth Development Campus (YDC) does not provide such an environment.”

Tiffany Scandrett volunteers with Bibb Mt. Zion Baptist Church’s ministry to provide a 12-month mentorship program to girls in the Macon YDC. This year’s cohort includes 13 girls. 

She said the biggest problem the facility faces is staffing, since the lack of security personnel means the volunteers aren’t able to do their bi-monthly walkthroughs. 

“In general observation it’s an older building,” Scandrett said. “But … to me the facilities aren’t outdated so much that we can’t do what we need to do.”

She said a lot of the girls they mentor “lack basic skills.” The program teaches girls about identity, belief systems and then professional skills like preparing for an interview.

Scandrett also said the program brought in mental health professionals, and such services are “vital” to at-risk juveniles.

Allen said there is no time frame for the completion of the project at this time.