G. Ross Bell Youth Detention Center

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The G. Ross Bell Jefferson County Youth Detention Center is a correctional facility operated by Jefferson County adjacent to the Jefferson County Family Court at 140 2nd Court North in Smithfield. The 74,000 square-foot center houses up to 80 residents from 9 to 18 years old. The director is Monique Grier.

The center was built in 1990 and named for former Birmingham Recorder's Court judge George Ross Bell. Harmon Collier Associates designed the building, which was built by the Miree Construction Corporation.

The Juvenile Justice Task Force, formed in 2018, supports the center by forging partnerships with community resources such as the UAB Division of Adolescent Medicine, and the Jefferson-Blount-St Clair Mental Health Authority to benefit youth in the program.

In May 2022 Randall Horton's New Jersey-based "Radical Reversal" team outfitted a recording studio in a small room at the center and engaged small groups of residents in creative programs funded by a grant from Creative Capital of New York City. Guest artists for that project included Dez Wilson's Black Arts Academy and national recording artists Talib Kweli, Patrick Rosal, and Masego.

In 2023 the County Commission approved a project to renovate and expand the detention center. DLR Group of Omaha, Nebraska associated with Goodwyn Mills Cawood on the architectural design. B. L. Harbert International was awarded the contract for construction.

In 2024 the Birmingham City Council approved $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to support creative arts enrichment programs at the center in coordination with UAB Arts in Medicine.

References

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