Louisville Juvenile Detention Center is currently undergoing renovations and is projected to open spring 2027. Once completed it will house male juveniles 14 years or older who have been charged with a violent or serious offense (Capital, Class A, B or C felony). The facility will have 64 beds available and will offer the same services as all other juvenile detention centers in the state. These services include medical, education, evidence based and life skills programs, and behavioral and mental health counseling. Juvenile detention centers securely house juveniles who are pre-adjudicated. 

The facility was in the design process from July 2023 to April 2025, which determined the extent of renovations required to bring the building up to detention standards and to meet the needs of the population. Louisville Metro Government transferred the deed to the building to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in April 2025, at which time construction bids were solicited. A total of $38.9 million has been allocated by the General Assembly for the project and based on the estimated timeline developed by the design team. 

Number of beds: 64
Facility construction date: Renovations estimated to be complete in spring 2027.

​

Larry Chandler, Operational Advisor​

Larry Chandler was appointed operational advisor for the Department of Juvenile Justice in September 2026. In this role, Chandler will lead operational training for staff at the facility and make sure each facility is ready to accept juveniles and support the Jefferson County community upon completion of construction. He will also ensure construction adheres to building codes, American Correctional Association standards and state and federal law to ensure safe environments that are fit f​or the juveniles each facility will serve. 

Chandler retired from the department in 2024 after joining it the previous year as its first director of security before being appointed as deputy director of the Office of Detention in May 2023. He was then named interim commissioner in January 2024, guiding the department for three months until Gov. Beshear named a new commissioner. During his time with DJJ, he was instrumental in enhancing safety in the department's facilities, hiring and retaining staff and making positive changes to the juvenile justice system. 

Before joining the department, Chandler served more than three decades with the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Throughout his 33-year career in the adult correctional system, Chandler served as warden at the Kentucky State Reformatory, Luther Luckett Correctional Complex, Bell County Forestry Camp, Green River Correctional Complex, Southeast State Correctional Complex and Little Sandy Correctional Complex — a facility he designed in 2005. Chandler has also served as a consultant for the American Correctional Association and served a four-year term on the Kentucky Parole Board beginning in 2013. 

Chandler graduated from the University of Louisville with a B.S. in Correctional Administration and a master's degree in justice administration from the University of Louisville, where he taught part-time for nine years. He also holds a master's degree in management from Brescia University in Owensboro.

---