‘We want to get this right’ | New board appointed to lead Knox County’s juvenile detention center

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The new board has been picked to serve at Knox County’s Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center. It’s a five-person group made of commissioners and an appointee by Knox County Juvenile Judge Tim Irwin.

Knox County commission initially picked commissioners Shane Jackson, Damon Rawls, Larsen Jay and Terry Hill. Irwin appointed Commissioner Rhonda to serve as the fifth and final person on the board.

“As a county, we want to get this right for our young people,” Commissioner Rawls said about the first step in the county’s takeover.

This move comes after Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs worked to remove the current superintendent, Richard Bean, from his role at the center after claims he fired two employees for reporting issues at the center to the state.

Previous Coverage: Letter to Knox County commission outlines juvenile detention center leadership transition plan

The two employees have since been rehired, and Richard Bean will leave his role at the center Aug. 1.

Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay said “It’s a reset for Knox County. We are building on 50 years of history and good work and accomplishments in a juvenile justice center which, arguably, our partners in the state have said is really run well.”

The board will work to see what the kids and teens need at the center for the future.

“Mr. Bean has done what he’s done in the organization and has run it for 50-plus years, so now we want to move into a different world,” Commissioner Rawls said. “Youth-serving detention centers have shifted over time. We’re now more human-based organizations than a junior jail. These aren’t junior jails.”

Commissioner Jay would like to make some changes to the current state of things at the center.

“I would certainly love to elevate the transparency to the public. What it is and what it isn’t and how it works and really build the trust of the community of realizing we do need a facility like this but how is it operated and how are we taking care of the individuals,” Jay said.

In the future, Commissioner Jay would also like to see more experts serve on this board.

“Maybe have a couple commissioners on there, but I’d really like to see more professionals that work in the juvenile space,” Jay said.

Commissioner Jay added the five members of the board will visit the Bean Center and meet in mid-July to discuss the future of the center.

Mayor Jacobs will pick an interim superintendent. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office will take more control of the center Jan. 1, 2026.

The sheriff’s office said in a statement, “The Sheriff’s Office is in the assessment phase regarding the upcoming takeover. The various stakeholders will provide more updates soon.”