DES MOINES, Iowa — The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa penned a letter on Thursday, Feb. 3 threatening legal action against the Scott County Board of Supervisors for its proposed use of $4.5 to $7.5 million in federal funds to build a new juvenile detention center.
The county's current facility has 18 beds, and the new one would have 40 with the potential for growth up to 60 beds. Iowa state code puts a limit on the amount of juvenile beds allowed across the state, and this new facility would exceed that limit and require the cap to be lifted.
The blueprint for the new facility alone cost the county over $130k, and the final bill for the project was estimated to come in at $17 million.
During a county board meeting on Nov. 9, members of the community voiced their opposition to the expansion, and the City of Davenport on Dec. 8 voted against building a new facility in its downtown area and argued building the center would disproportionately impact the surrounding neighborhoods.
But because the final decision comes down to the Scott County Board, Iowa ACLU Executive Director Mark Stringer and other social justice organizations signed the letter directly addressing the board. The other organizations that signed include:
In the letter, the 10 organizations expressed their "deep concern" with the county's vote to preliminarily approve the expansion and argued the proposal is an improper use of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
"Because the use of ARPA funds to build a new juvenile detention center facility is unlawful and will only exacerbate the racial disparities in Iowa's juvenile delinquency system, we are asking you to vote to not approve this proposal and take prompt remedial action to redirect these funds as necessary," the organizations said in the letter.
Instead, the organizations suggested the county using the funds to reduce the number of kids in the prison system and eliminate racial disparities within the community through mental health counseling, violence prevention and restorative justice measures.
Should Scott County give final approval to use the federal funds for the detention center, the organizations said they would notify the U.S. Department of Treasury and Office of Inspector General that the county violated the law.