On February 6, 2002, the Gatling Juvenile Detention Center became a division of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office.
Gatling Juvenile Detention Center (named for juvenile Judge W. T. Gatling) is located at 11700 Verhoeff Drive, Huntersville. The facility serves Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Gatling is one of 14 detention programs in North Carolina, of which individual counties only operate four.
Mecklenburg County was one of the first in the state to provide an alternative to jail for securely holding children in custody by constructing a detention center in 1959. The current facility was built in 1971 and can house 30 male children.
Secure detention is used for those that are truly a danger to themselves or the community. Statutes require the use of the least restrictive environment possible and require detention review hearings every 10 days that look at any new considerations or options that might be appropriate.
Gatling Center staff members are responsible for the security aspects of the facility as well as programming. Each staff member is required to possess a four-year degree and to have experience working with children. Providing security is the primary role at any detention center, but also the staff helps residents identify behaviors they can change to help build better relationships with peers and other adults. Gatling staff average approximately 12 years of experience working with troubled children.
Staff also provides a variety of educations, recreational and social skill activities based on the personalities and needs of the children. The counselors are responsible for examining and documenting behavior, providing consequences, making entries in the files, and providing written observations and recommendations to the court regarding appropriate aftercare and placement. All four teachers have a Masters Degree and specialize in dealing with children that exhibit disruptive behaviors.
Gatling also provides a "Reaching Out Program" for parents that are having difficulty with their child at home as a preventive program to keep their child from being placed in Gatling.
Gatling can house a capacity of 30 male juveniles and all Mecklenburg girls are held in Gaston County's state facility at a cost of $80 a day.
Director:
Captain Jennifer Jones
Asst. Director:
Robert Dixon
704.875.2922
