#JusticeforGynnya: Shut Down Lincoln Village Detention Center
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#JusticeforGynnya: Shut Down Lincoln Village Detention Center
In the 3 months since the in-custody death of 16-year-old Gynnya McMillen at Lincoln Village Detention Center, we have learned that Kentucky is operating a juvenile detention center in crisis, with a staff that has demonstrated a clear contempt and indifference towards the young people in their custody.
After local activists and ColorOfChange members pressured the Governor into releasing the video of Gynnya's time at Lincoln village, the state's own Public Safety Commissioner had to admit that the video of the time Gynnya spent at Lincoln Village was filled with examples of falsified reports, failed supervision and outright indifference on the part of detention center staff.
In less than two days at Lincoln Village, staff failed to do proper checks on Gynnya, placed her in a martial arts hold, delayed administering CPR when they found her unresponsive, ate food intended for her, and lied on reports pertaining to her care.
The investigation also exposed a broken surveillance camera that failed to capture key footage of the martial arts hold that may have triggered Gynnya's death, as well as the lack of vital training amongst staff. Even the facility's nurse admitted, during a taped 911 call, that she was unfamiliar with the center's required CPR protocol, causing a delay in potentially life-saving efforts.
The detention staff's negligence reflects the ways in which Kentucky systematically fails Black youth every day. In Kentucky, Black youth are more than four times as likely as white youth to spend time in a juvenile detention facility.
Now more than 10% of Lincoln Village staff are under indictment, suspension or investigation. So far, the Governor has refused to fire the facility superintendent, leaving activist with no choice but to demand the shut down of the entire detention center.
Join us in calling on Governor Bevin to close at Lincoln Village Detention Center.
#JusticeforGynnya: Shut Down Lincon Village Detention Center
Dear Governor Matt Bevin:
Since Gynnya McMillen's in custody death at Lincoln Village Detention Center, we have learned a lot about the crisis of management at the facility. Despite missing footage, the video of McMillen's time at Lincoln Village reportedly shows a youth detention facility being completely mismanaged and putting more Kentucky youth in danger. It is clear by now that corruption, incompetence and abuse are rampant at Lincoln Village Detention Center and within the Juvenile Justice system as a whole.
Your own Commissioner of Public Safety has admitted that the tape of Gynnya's time at the facility was filled with false reports, negligence and 'indifference'. With more than 10% of the staff currently under indictment, suspension, or investigation, it is clear the facility's issues are pervasive and cannot be resolved with a few disciplinary actions. In addition to staff's outright violations of protocols, there are frightening indicators of a lack of supervision and training that has left staff generally lacking in professionalism and specifically unprepared to render emergency medical care.
Kentucky has to develop more humane ways of intervening in the lives of children in crisis. With Black children in Kentucky being more than four times as likely to be held at a detention center in the state, I am particularly concerned that these facilities further the systemic racial issues that already plague the state. Please act now to protect Kentucky's children and close Lincoln Detention Center.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]