The Tulsa County Family Center for Juvenile Justice opens its doors today at 10am for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Juvenile Courts will be open for business starting Monday Dec. 2nd.
The 150,000 sq. ft. facility is a vast upgrade from the current 38,000 sq. ft. facility the Tulsa County Juvenile Courts calls home. Not only does the new facility have more space, it’s also safer, more secure, and much friendlier for the nearly 4,000 youth and their families that walk through its doors every year.
The new center boasts six courtrooms instead of the four currently available, with each new courtroom being double the size. The courtrooms incorporate specific colors and other aesthetics to make juvenile court proceedings less daunting for youth that are often frightened and traumatized. In fact, 75% of youth in contact with the juvenile justice system have experienced traumatic victimization, which often includes homelessness, violence, mental illness, abandonment, neglect, substance abuse, and exploitation.
"The new facility affords the Court an enhanced opportunity to better serve the needs of Tulsa County's youth and families who are in crisis. We are grateful to now have sufficient space to conduct essential court operations,” said Chief Juvenile Judge Martha Rupp Carter. “The Family Justice Center will allow the Court to operate better with heightened safety, to meet confidentiality requirements, demonstrate respect for the dignity of court participants, and to reduce further traumatization to individuals facing extreme circumstances.”
The project took 19 months from groundbreaking to complete. However, the quick construction period was preceded by a 2-year search for the site and funding discussions that started back in the mid-90s.
Some of those security improvements include two new secure sally ports for law enforcement to separate youth who are arrested and brought to detention and adults who are incarcerated and required to testify in Juvenile court.
The new facility also includes:
- A new forensic interview room
- Additional school classrooms and a new children’s library and play area
- Brand new training rooms, jury deliberation rooms, and a jury pool room
- Expanded space for waiting rooms, visitation and programs, probation services, Department of Human Services staff, and contract attorneys
- A full-size gymnasium for youth in detention
“These kids deserve more than we’ve been able to give them in the current facility,” said Tulsa County Board of County Commissioners Chair Karen Keith.“This new facility provides a comforting, safe place that will create even more positive outcomes. The staff at the Juvenile Center, Judges, and their staffs will finally be in a setting that they deserve and that honors their commitment to these youth. It’s been a long road to get here, but I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone who fought tirelessly to keep this project moving and see it to the end.”
The facility also boasts paintings by Tulsa-based artists John Hammer (funded by the Hardesty Family Foundation) and Ben Trosper (funded by the Tulsa County Bar Foundation), who specialize in pop impressionism and exploring the symbolism between animals and the way people connect to them, respectively. In the spring, $1 million of landscaping, donated by the Zarrow Families Foundation, will be completed to further rejuvenate the area around the Family Center.
“The Family Center for Juvenile Justice is going to be a game changer for the juvenile justice system in Tulsa County,” said retired Judge Doris Fransein. “The youth and the families we serve deserve an experience that is respectful, comprehensive, and as least traumatic as possible. The new facility and all that it encompasses ensures we can deliver on this vision.”