Sheriff McFadden to meet with state official to discuss possible juvenile jail
Sheriff Garry McFadden will meet with a state Department of Public Safety official to discuss the future of the county’s shuttered juvenile jail, according to a news release.
The public forum is scheduled to happen Jan. 6 at the Valerie C. Woodard Community Resource Center.
It comes after The Charlotte Observer reported in autumn that public safety officials and children’s advocates want the facility once known as Jail North reopened.
“MCSO is convening this panel to address and correct ongoing misconceptions about the closure of the JDC and inform the public with a clear understanding of the real needs and conditions for reopening the facility,” a news release from the sheriff’s office said. “Specifically, there has been confusion about MCSO’s role and responsibility in the facility not being open.”
McFadden will be joined by William Lassiter, a deputy secretary at DPS who oversees juvenile justice. Lassiter previously said that he has tried to find a way to reopen the facility, which McFadden closed in 2022, for years.
“This is something that has been in the works for a while,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Sarah Mastouri said of the planned discussion in an email. “Just clarifying and educating the public on the challenges of reopening the juvenile detention center.”
McFadden is one of four Democrats running for sheriff in 2026.
Two candidates, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Sgt. Ricky Robbins and former Detention Officer Antwain Nance, have said they want to reopen Jail North. Former Chief Deputy Rodney Collins said it was not a priority for him.
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.