MOUNT CLEMENS — Teenagers incarcerated at a state juvenile center in Grayling are moving south in the coming months. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced on Jan. 24 that the 17 male youths lodged at the Shawono Center will be relocated to the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center. “While the decision to relocate the services provided by the Shawono Center was difficult, transferring to Macomb County will allow us to serve more youths and help them become healthy and productive citizens,” MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said in a press release. “I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the staff at the Shawono Center, and we will work to find positions for all staff who would like to remain with MDHHS.” The state’s inmates, who range from 12-21 years old, will move into the justice center’s west wing. The wing was previously occupied by Rite of Passage — a “national youth services provider” according to the MDHHS — with around $360,000 in renovations made for that program. The state intends to further renovate the wing for the purposes of housing the teens formerly lodged in Grayling, as well as renaming the wing the Michigan Youth Treatment Center. “The state is looking to use about 40-60 beds,” Macomb County Deputy Executive Andy McKinnon said. McKinnon said details about the move, such as how much money will be spent on further renovations and operations, remained in flux as of early February. Some services at the justice center like dining may be shared, though it is unlikely the state and county prisoners will mix together. Housing prisoners from outside of the county is not new for the justice center. Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said the center takes in convicted youths from neighboring counties. “They (the state) reached out to us knowing we’re a regional facility, and I say that because we house juveniles from the thumb area,” Hackel said. “We have contractional relationships with them depending on their needs. St. Clair, Sanilac, Lapeer (counties) … A lot of these counties don’t really need their own facility. They don’t really have a lot of juveniles that they are sending to detention. But if they do, they notice that we have some space available to accommodate that on a per-bed, per-day price, so we do that.” McKinnon estimated the existing youth detainees at Grayling would all be moved down by the end of spring.

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