Virginia juvenile-justice officials are preparing to shift some troubled teens from state correctional centers to local detention homes.
The state has quietly approached localities about testing the concept, which would involve housing and treating juveniles considered to be low risks to public safety and better served in a less hardened setting than a juvenile prison.
State officials call the pilot project an attempt to handle troubled teens in a less rigid and institutional environment, closer to their homes and the programs that eventually will help them return to their communities.
"Our commitment to community placement is because it is the better way to treat these kids," said Jerrauld C. Jones, director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice and a former member of the House of Delegates.
The department plans to begin testing the concept this spring at one local or regional detention home under a contract that would pay the cost of incarcerating and treating up to 10 teenagers.
State officials confirmed that about four of Virginia's 24 detention homes submitted proposals in December to test the idea during the next year or two.
Detention officials say they like the concept, but remain skeptical of the state's long-term financial commitment to a program that would shift responsibility to localities.