(FRANKFORT, Ky.) — Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball is challenging the Beshear administration’s handling of juvenile detention reforms, arguing that newly proposed emergency regulations fall short of addressing systemic problems in state facilities.
Ball submitted a formal comment letter Monday to the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet regarding proposed emergency regulations governing the Department for Juvenile Justice’s use of isolation in youth facilities. Her Chief of Staff, Lorran Hart Ferguson, delivered additional testimony at a public hearing on the regulations held the same day.
Ball characterized conditions in DJJ facilities as having been “unacceptable for far too long,” and accused the administration of refusing to implement meaningful reforms despite detailed recommendations from her office.
The criticism stems from a comprehensive performance review of the Department of Juvenile Justice released by Ball’s office on January 31, 2024. That audit documented troubling conditions including what investigators described as excessive use of isolation and pepper spray on detained youth.
In her comment letter, Ball contends the proposed emergency regulations would not produce substantial improvements within DJJ operations. She argues the regulations overlook most of the problems her audit identified as causing harm to both detained children and facility staff.
Ball urged the administration to consult her office’s report, which she described as “a blueprint for meaningful change within DJJ,” if officials genuinely want to redirect troubled youth toward successful outcomes while protecting staff and public safety.
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between the Democratic governor’s administration and Ball, a Republican constitutional officer, over the management of Kentucky’s juvenile justice system.
