On this week's "Behind the Headlines," Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris joined host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries to talk about youth detention, the controversial state and federal crime task force, and the push to build a new Regional One Health hospital.
The conversation started with Harris discussing the Youth Justice and Education Center (YJAC), the county's new juvenile detention facility located off Old Getwell. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office had previously overseen youth detention but decided to step away from that responsibility. As a result, the mayor's administration took over management through the Division of Corrections, beginning on Oct. 1.
"We want to put more kids on the path of rehabilitation," Harris said. "Kids that are locked up in our juvenile facility right now can't be thrown away. They're going to get out, and we have to remind them that they still have a bright future ahead of them."
Harris stated that the transition has enabled the county to eliminate practices he described as harmful or illegal. "We have ended solitary confinement for youth," he said, highlighting that this practice is unlawful and has received numerous complaints and media coverage regarding its use. Additionally, the county reinstated transportation to court after the Sheriff's Office had reduced it, a move Harris emphasized as essential to ensuring juveniles' due process rights.
Furthermore, Harris's administration removed Aramark as YJAC's food provider and now runs its own kitchen. "The kids are, you know, very pleased to have different food there," he said, adding that the new kitchen recently received a perfect health score. Visitation for families has also been expanded at both the youth and adult facilities.
The mayor said the facility has often held more than 100 youths, classifying it as a "mega facility" by national standards. However, the current count is "under 75."
The conversation then shifted to the Memphis Safe Task Force and Gov. Bill Lee's deployment of the National Guard. Harris emphasized his support for increasing law enforcement resources, noting his previous objections when state and federal agencies removed assets from Memphis. However, he believes the governor overstepped his authority in deploying the National Guard.
"This is a free state, right? This is a southern state. This is a conservative state. [As] a free state, it has a real history of freedom, and part of the history here is that we don't allow any governor to send the military against Tennesseans," Harris said, citing the state constitution and laws. A local court has ruled against the governor's authority, and the case is now on appeal.
Harris said he welcomes most federal partners, but is deeply uneasy with how immigration enforcement has operated within the task force and the fear it has created among Latino residents. He described "countless voices" describing a "paralysis" in the community and said he has called for "safe zones" at places like schools and churches.
On the county's finances, Harris pushed back on the idea that a recent $43 million internal loan signaled a payroll crisis. He said the inter-fund borrowing is a "routine" transaction used by other counties, and that the state comptroller's concerns were driven by technical and policy issues that are now being addressed. Still, Harris said, "there's way too much spending in county government," particularly in grants to outside organizations, and he wants to rein that in before his term ends.
Despite the tighter budget and state scrutiny, Harris insisted that plans for a new Regional One Health facility must move forward.
"Either we invest in it so that it's around for the next hundred years, or it dies," he said. He emphasized that the trauma center is crucial for first responders, crime victims, and individuals affected by major accidents across the region. Additionally, he highlighted the new hospital as a key economic and safety cornerstone at the edge of Beale Street and the wider downtown entertainment district.
"We got to bring downtown back; we got to bring Beale Street back," Harris said, calling the Regional One project a "mega project" that could help do both.
