Tulsa County Opens New Juvenile Justice Center

Tulsa County's new $32 million Family Center for Juvenile Justice is now open in downtown Tulsa.

The goal was to make the center inviting for children, teens and families. The facility will provide resources for children who need help, as well as those in juvenile detention.

The 151,000 square-foot facility is four times the size of the old one. The building houses juvenile courtrooms, a new forensic interview room, training rooms, and offices for councilors and juvenile attorneys.

There are also several areas for children who are victims of neglect or abuse.

The building has play areas as well as classrooms to provide families access to therapists and nurses.

Related Story: Tulsa's New Juvenile Justice Center To Open By End Of Year 

City leaders said they wanted to make it a place where children felt safe and comfortable.

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said he believes the facility will have a positive impact on children in Tulsa County.

"If we could intercept that on the front end, if we can capture those moments in which people are being put in a spot they shouldn't be put in," said Steve Kunzweiler, Tulsa County District Attorney.

"And we can redirect their behaviors and redirect the behaviors of the parents who are maybe putting their kids in a bad spot."

Court will start in the building December 2. The juvenile detention center section will open in mid-December.