Kansas to Close Juvenile Correctional Facility

The Kansas Department of Corrections has announced plans to close a juvenile correctional facility in western Kansas.

The department said Thursday it will close the Larned juvenile facility during the next year because of dropping inmate populations. The agency says the monthly average number of prisoners has fallen by 30 percent since 2010.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the closure will leave a Topeka facility as the only location in Kansas for juveniles. The Larned facility only houses male inmates, while Topeka houses both male and female prisoners.

KDOC says current inmates won't be moved and that a large number will age out of the Larned juvenile facility. The department also says it will work on job placement for the 140 full-time workers at the Larned facility.