Bill’s aim: helping youth

In response to an April 10 letter concerning the intentions of Senate Bill 20, I work with police and have worked with other stakeholders within Kentucky’s youth-serving agencies for 20 years, and I can assure everyone that SB 20 was not an attempt to accuse any agency, especially law enforcement, of racism. In fact, I am working in partnership with the Louisville Metro Police Department to conduct Implicit Bias Training for all of their sworn officers.

Many stakeholders worked with Sen. Whitney Westerfield and the members of the Juvenile Justice Overnight Council to identify and address the wide disparities within all of Kentucky’s youth serving agencies. SB 20 was an attempt to engage, not accuse, law enforcement and other partners within the systems that serve our families. It provided a collaborative effort to identify and strategize around addressing disparities and creating better outcomes for youth.

This comprehensive legislation when paired with the great effort and results of SB 200, would improve our juvenile justice system and keep youth in their communities and out of institutions.

This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Bill’s aim: helping youth."