Shelby County, Tennessee To Lay Off 200 Workers At Juvenile Court

Shelby County, the host county in Tennessee to the city of Memphis, is facing layoffs at its juvenile court.

The cuts, which could exceed 200 or 250 employees, became more of possibility after the Department of Human Services in Nashville awarded a contract to Maximus Human Services, a private company in Virginia.

For the past year and a half, the juvenile court has tried to hold on to the contract, which allowed them to collect child support for more than 100,000 children in Shelby County.  They have held the contract for 45 years.  Recently, the Department of Human Services claimed the juvenile court has failed to collect in a cost-effective manner, and gave the contract to Maximus.

“It’s difficult to accept, but that’s the way it is,” said Anita DeTorres, who has served as a manager at Shelby County Juvenile Court for more than 20 years. “Unfortunately, it’s the children of that are going to suffer. Yes, it’s sad many of us will be displaced, but not nearly as sad as it will be for the children.”

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