BENTON, IL — The Franklin County Juvenile Detention Facility closed last Sunday. Tuesday night, a now-former employee, Kevin Hall, spoke at the Franklin County Board meeting.

The Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center in Benton, Illinois, closed on December 31, 2023 citing staffing shortages as the reason.

The closure comes after a class-action lawsuit was filed last June. The lawsuit accused the facility of keeping children in inhumane conditions and subjecting them to solitary confinement for long periods of time. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of several minors by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.

At the Franklin County Board meeting, people got clarification about the closure and learned how some local organizations are trying to help those who lost their jobs. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office offered training and eventually jobs for several of the employees who were let go.

Less than a week ago, the juvenile detention center was filled with minors and the people employed to oversee them. One of those people was Kevin Hall, who attended the board meeting Tuesday night to get answers. He says employees were given short notice they would be heading into the new year jobless.

"So my point is December 21, four days before Christmas, and a lady has that much authority to walk in to the building and say we’re shutting it down," Hall said.

He’s frustrated by the way the closure was handled. "I’m not saying I disagree with this closing down, but there is no protocol, no steps in order to get together. Let’s get with these guys; maybe they can get us more funding and help us out; we’re just going to shut the doors," Hall said.

Hall was also upset about the overall lack of communication. "Then we’re told to come up there in our regular clothes and just sit there until [Dec. 31], not getting any answers from anybody. How’s our insurance going to work? How’s our severance pay going to work?" he asked.

The Board Chairman Larry Miller, and the board didn’t have much to say back. "I hope our silence doesn’t appear to be cold, because this situation is out of our control. Okay? So I appreciate what you’re saying here," Miller said.

However, lives are still affected. "Pretty tough. Pretty tough," Hall said.

We called the county’s second circuit court, which oversaw the judicial center, but we have not received a call back. We still do not know how many children were being held at the facility at the time of its closure or where they were transferred to.

The Franklin County Chairman, Larry Miller, was not able to talk much about the juvenile detention center because, although it’s in their county, the board doesn’t oversee the day-to-day operations of the facility.

Miller did say the decision to close the juvenile facility was made by the Chief Judge, Mellissa Morgan, and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.