White retired in December from the state Department of Corrections, where he served as deputy commissioner of adult institutions and, before that, warden of Kentucky State Penitentiary and Green River Correctional Complex.
He replaces Vicki Reed, who resigned Jan. 1 after much criticism for assaults, escapes, riots and the abuse and neglect of youths at juvenile detention centers under her watch. State lawmakers called for Reed’s ouster for months.
An independent audit of the Department of Juvenile Justice released after Reed’s departure said the agency has failed to comply with reforms called for years ago, including better security and medical staffing, on-site mental health care and less use of solitary confinement for teenagers in custody.
In a statement Thursday, Beshear said White will prioritize reducing youth crime; improving youth mental health services and employee training at the Department of Juvenile Justice; and improving security at the agency’s 27 facilities.
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“Juveniles entering the criminal justice system are committing harsher crimes and require stronger rehabilitative programs than when I started in corrections 27 years ago, and as a former deputy commissioner I had a lot of interaction with these juveniles when they would transfer to adult prison,” White said in his own statement.
“And for Kentucky to truly reduce the juvenile population, we must focus our efforts on alternatives to detention, education, programming, employment and mental health,” White said. “Our juveniles need our support, and I pledge to do just that.”
White will be the state’s sixth juvenile justice commissioner in seven years. He’s Beshear’s third commissioner since the governor took office in December 2019. The first, LaShana Harris, was fired in 2021.
Also Thursday, Beshear confirmed the permanent appointment of White’s new boss, Justice and Public Safety Secretary Keith Jackson, who has held the job on an interim basis in recent months.
Jackson succeeds Kerry Harvey, who retired in January.
Jackson was named deputy justice secretary in 2021. Prior to that, he served as Beshear’s commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He’s also a former chief of the Lexington Division of Fire and Emergency Services.
The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet includes the Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Kentucky State Police, the Department of Public Advocacy, the Office of the State Medical Examiner and the Office of Drug Control Policy.