From Bakersfield Today and KGET

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Kern County Planning Commission has approved the construction of a new 15,239-square-foot multipurpose building at the Probation Youth Detention Center in east Bakersfield. The two-story facility will include an indoor basketball court, meeting rooms, interview rooms, a game room, and other amenities aimed at providing a controlled exercise and recreation space for both male and female juvenile probation detainees.

The new building is part of ongoing efforts to improve the facilities and programming at Kern County’s juvenile detention center, which houses youth who have been charged with crimes. Providing access to recreational activities and meeting spaces can help support the rehabilitation and reintegration of juvenile offenders. 

The first floor of the new building will feature an indoor basketball court, meeting room, interview rooms, a game room, offices, and restrooms. The second floor will include an additional meeting room, an observation mezzanine, and more staff restrooms. The project also includes a new outdoor basketball court surrounded by a 16-foot-high security fence, as well as a fenced walkway connecting the new building to the boys’ and girls’ housing units.

The Kern County Planning Commission approved the conditional use permit for the proposed building during its meeting on March 31, 2026.

…The new multipurpose building at the Kern County Juvenile Hall is part of ongoing efforts to improve the facilities and programming available to youth in the criminal justice system, with the goal of supporting their rehabilitation and reintegration into the community.

Read the full article here.