West TN juvenile detention center to start construction in 2026
FAYETTE COUNTY, Tenn. — A bill proposing construction to begin on a new juvenile detention facility in West Tennessee was presented and passed in a House subcommittee this week.
'This bill would require by January of 2026 require the Department of Children's Services begin construction on a facility that would house children who are being detained while awaiting adjudication, allegations of delinquency or unruliness,' said TN House Rep. Mary Littleton (R).
After a unanimous vote, House Bill 1358 moves on. The expected cost is around $284 million.
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State to build new Wilder Youth Development Center in Fayette County
WREG has reported extensively over the years about issues at the current juvenile facility the Wilder Youth Development Center in Fayette County. It's operated by the Department of Children's Services.
The center is where boys ages 14 to 18 from Shelby County and other places across the state go after they are found guilty of violent crimes.
According to records, construction on an appropriate facility to house children who are being detained will start on Jan. 1, 2026.
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In a 2023 WREG investigators special report, our team uncovered data from the Fayette County Sheriff's Office that showed between 2019 and 2022, deputies responded to at least two dozen assault calls. There were four reports of sexual assaults, multiple disturbance calls including juveniles refusing to get off the roof, and riots that lasted hours and several escapes.
New documentation says over the past three years the western district has approximately 60% of the total number of juvenile detainees across the entire state.
The total number of beds that will result from the proposed legislation is 289 with 157 currently and 132 new. Wilder was opened in September of 1971.
Escapes, riots, assaults: Concerns mounting at Wilder Youth Development Center
The proposed legislation does not give specifics when it comes to the location or required acreage for the new facility.
Back in 2023, DCS told WREG the department received more than $100 million in additional funding through the real estate plan, and $19 million of the approved funds will be used to begin the design phase for the new Wilder center along with a new youth center in Nashville.
WREG reached out to DCS for a comment on this latest bill and to see what will happen to the current Wilder facility.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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