Image Credit: Knox County Government & Google Earth
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
Brian Bivens has been selected by Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs to serve as interim director of the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Service Center, a juvenile detention center in East Tennessee, following the former superintendent’s controversial retirement.
Starting in 2026, Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office will be taking more control of the facility as Biven and new board members attempt to steer the facility in a new direction.
85-year-old Richard L. Bean finally retired from his position as director of the facility earlier this summer after repeatedly neglecting to adhere to state regulations and firing two employees for reporting issues to the state.
Under Bean’s direction, the facility was punishing children with isolation more than any other facility in the state according to reports from less than two years ago.
Bean also blatantly acknowledged at the time that he preferred the way things used to be done, i.e., corporal punishment.
Bivens, who has worked for decades in the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and in corrections roles, says he sees this new appointment as an opportunity to make an impact.
“I hear challenge a lot. Heavy lift a lot,” said Bivens. “I see it as a great opportunity to make an impact in these officers’ careers and these juveniles’ lives.”
According to WVLT, Bivens and members of the new Bean Center board went on a tour of the facility on July 16th to get a better idea of what their priorities should be.
“Structure, organization and training are the three things I continue to hear from the staff,” said Bivens.
Bivens also stated that he noted several things in his examination of the facility that he had never seen before.
“Currently, there are no supervisory positions. I’ve never been in a facility, and I’ve been in approximately 130 different correctional facilities in my career doing audits and inspections. I’ve never been in a facility that didn’t have a hierarchy or supervisor structure, so I think that’s obviously super important to put in place,” said Bivens.
“I’ve never been into a facility where radios didn’t have an emergency button on them,” he continued, “so if there’s a serious situation and you don’t have time to pick up the radio and don’t have time to talk, you can hit a button and it automatically alerts everyone there’s an emergency.”
Bivens plans on cross-training staff members at the facility to do any job and hopes to provide better structure for them and the children and teens under their watch.
“There’s some things I want to do on the housing side,” Bivens said. “There’s not enough incentives there for them behave the way they should be behaving, so I want to create incentives for positive behavior.”
Bivens also relayed that the children and teens inside the facility have not had very many programs available to them, but he plans on changing that.
“I want to keep them busy, especially in the afternoons, so bringing folks in for additional programming,” said Bivens. “Substance abuse, anger management, things of that nature to focus on the needs of what we want to provide of that nature.”
Bivens stated that under his leadership, rules and guidelines will be established that work in agreement with American Correctional Association standards.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Pray the kids sent there are helped now instead of damaged more.