Earlier this week, Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 162 into law, which appropriates more than $25 million to the Department for Juvenile Justice for staff salaries, facility security upgrades, transportation costs and enhanced programming.
The bill also addresses the need to better serve those youth with severe mental health issues and divert them to more appropriate care.
The November 2022 riot at the Adair Youth Development Center in Columbia as well as similar instances at facilities around the state led to discussions by legislators and prompted such bills like Senate Bill 162.
By signing this bill, it also provides correctional officers at the Department of Corrections with $30 million in funding to increase new and current correctional officer salaries to a minimum of $50,000 annually.