Still empty a year later, Omaha’s new $27M juvenile jail might never open as planned

A year after the controversial project’s completion, the $27 million center remains empty.

And it may never be used for its original purpose. Members of the Douglas County Board have begun floating potential alternative uses for the four-story building as the number of kids in custody continues to exceed the number of beds in the new facility.

Detained children remain in the 27-year-old Douglas County Youth Center — a midtown Omaha facility that critics say is built more like an adult jail than a therapeutic environment for kids.

Project proponents, led by County Board member Chris Rodgers, say the building can still be used for its intended purpose if the number of kids in detention falls.