Mecklenburg County commissioners have approved more than $3 million to reopen the North Detention Center in an effort to ease overcrowding at the county's main jail in uptown Charlotte.
The facility previously housed juvenile inmates but will now be used to house adults.
Speaking on WFAE’s Charlotte Talks on Wednesday, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said reopening a juvenile detention facility would require additional state funding.
"If the state has $35 million, I think they had $42 million, they spent some someplace else. We're not asking for $35 million, we're asking for $13 million to $18 million, at most $18 million, to open that," McFadden said. "If you have this pot of money sitting in a corner to support juvenile justice, why not give it to Mecklenburg County and let us go with it."
McFadden said the funding would allow the county to reopen a facility dedicated to juvenile detention.