Local
Concord youth detention center faces renewed safety questions after Oct. 10 assault
Two juveniles attacked a staff member at the Cabarrus detention center, took his keys and radio, and locked him in a room, according to emergency audio. The incident adds to longstanding concerns about staffing, capacity and confinement practices at the state-run facility.
A staff member at the Cabarrus Juvenile Detention Center needed an ambulance after two juveniles attacked him Oct. 10, according to emergency dispatch audio. The youth took the employee’s keys, damaged his radio and locked him in a room before unlocking other juveniles, some of whom fought, the account of the incident states.
A facility worker called 911 to request medical transport, telling the dispatcher an employee had been attacked by a juvenile and needed to go to the hospital by ambulance. Later, the worker confirmed the juveniles had been secured.
The Concord facility, also known as Stonewall Jackson Cabarrus, is operated under the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. The assault is the latest reported incident amid broader questions about safety and conditions at the center.
A major disturbance in 2024 began after a juvenile assaulted a staff member, took keys and released other youth from their rooms. Dispatch communications at the time described youth armed with broken objects and shackles, and reported damage to computer equipment. The episode caused thousands of dollars in damage, according to authorities.
Staffing and capacity pressures extend beyond Cabarrus County. The state’s latest annual report found more than half of juvenile counselor positions statewide were vacant, while detention centers continued to hold more young people than their staffed beds could accommodate.
The Cabarrus center is also subject to a federal civil-rights lawsuit challenging its use of room confinement. A proposed settlement would limit when juveniles may be isolated and bar room confinement as punishment. A federal judge has given the agreement preliminary approval, but it has not been finalized.