MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- There's pushback Monday on a bill that would move juvenile hearings into the Youth Justice and Education Center where juveniles are detained. Republican State Senator Brent Taylor who authored the bill said that the move will save taxpayers money from having to transport detaine es downtown for hearings. However, Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon said it would create problems. Not far from the Memphis Airport, there's a new detention facility for young offenders in Shelby County. "Inside that detention facility is a courtroom and unfortunately, that courtroom is as closed as a Chick-fil-A on Sunday," Taylor said. " So, what my bill will do will require the juvenile judge to come to the juvenile detention facility and have those hearings at the detention facility." But, Judge Tarik Sugarmon said hearings are happening in the courtroom. Mississippi governor poised to sign income tax elimination; Hernando ready for impact According to him, since April of 2024, more than 3,100 cases have been heard at the Youth Justice and Education Center. Judge Sugarmon said the courtroom at the facility was only designed to handle certain types of cases. "It was not designed for delinquency cases," Sugarmon said. "It was not designed for transfer hearings. It was not designed for any purpose other than to handle detention cases." Problems started back in the Spring of 2024 after an inspection of the juvenile court building at 616 Adams led to the discovery of mold and asbestos. "It's one hurdle we face after another," Sugarmon said. Judge Sugarmon said 616 Adams can handle 110 docket cases a week in comparison to 32 at the detention facility. He added that he is working out the deal with Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris when it comes to transporting young people the 14 miles to the courtrooms closer to downtown. Juvenile charged with reckless homicide in TN shooting "We're looking to get back into 616, what are we doing about that? The mayor and I of the county are working on an MOU that will alleviate the Sheriff's maintenance of this facility sometime this fall," Sugarmon said. "We are close to coming up with an MOU and at that point, Shelby County Corrections will take over the management of this building." He said taxpayers' money isn't being wasted but cases need to be held in an expedited manner. "These youth cost money to detain here but it also is a harm to these kids. It's harder to rehabilitate a child the longer they stay detained. The statistics and research shows that," Sugarmon said. "But we don't need an impediment to our ability to handle these cases in an expedited manner, not only for the youth that are detained here but also for the victims who deserve to have some closure to their cases." Senator Taylor's bill only applies to Shelby County. It's expected to be heard again by lawmakers this week. ...read more read less