Remodeled juvenile court facility opens its door in Mesa

Mesa juvenile court facility reopens after remodel

A new chapter has begun for Mesa's juvenile court center, after the facility was remodeled to better serve the youth community. FOX 10's Megan Spector reports.

MESA, Ariz. - A new chapter has begun at Mesa’s Juvenile Court Center, where a remodeled facility comes with a purpose to better serve the youth community.

Big picture view:

The ribbon cutting ceremony officially reopened the doors to the center on Nov. 13.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas Galvin said the changes were long overdue. He said the old facility is no comparison to the remodeled facility.

"Together, you are creating a space for families to have access to justice and work towards a brighter future," said Galvin.

Dig deeper:

Expanded and upgraded, the juvenile court center now has new and larger courtrooms.

"There’s just more room," said Judge Lori Bustamante. "There’s more room for attorneys to meet with their clients and have that really important dialogue they need to have with their clients before and after hearings. The courtrooms are larger, with more seating for family, participants, and the public, so fewer people are left waiting in the hallway."

The changes are designed to keep up with the growing need.

"Right now, there are about 2,600 petitions pending in this courthouse. We handle dependency cases, delinquency matters, guardianships, adoptions and more in this space, and have hundreds of hearings each week," Bustamante said.

In addition to the new courtrooms, there are new public waiting rooms as well.

What they're saying:

Galvin said the project, which totaled $35 million, was completed $600,000 under budget.

"This building offers a state-of-the-art secure facility that will increase public safety and access to court services in the East Valley," Galvin said. "There's enough space in this building to handle all the important work that’s being done by our incredible judicial officers, staff, probation officers, detention officers, court administrators, clerks, caseworkers, providers and attorneys."