Standing up for childrenadvocacy group calls for SCSO, juvenile courts to prioritize youth [Video]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Child advocacy groups say Shelby County is failing the children who need the most help in our community: the ones locked up in the juvenile detention center awaiting trial or rehabilitation.

And on Friday, November 1, they pointed the finger of blame directly at Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner.

Stand for Children Tennessee penned an open letter to the sheriff, saying the ongoing dispute between the Juvenile Court and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office puts children and the community at risk.

Sheriff Bonner wants to hand over the keys to the newly opened Shelby County Youth Justice and Education Center to Shelby County Juvenile Court and Judge Tarik Sugarmon. The how and when are still being worked out, but the initial target date of December 2024 gives Stand for Children pause.

In the letter, the groups expressed “profound concern” about the “abrupt cessation of youth transportation services” to juvenile court …