It appears that Republican Travis Lampley will be the next juvenile court judge of Rutherford County. Lampley is the assistant district attorney and brings a decade of experience in juvenile courts to the role.
“I think this county needs and desires someone with actual juvenile court experience to lead moving forward,” Lampley said in a WGNS radio forum. “This is not a time to be learning on the job.”
Lampley promised to get the court back on track after Judge Donna Scott Davenport oversaw illegal arrests and detention of children for two decades. She announced her retirement in January after an investigation by ProPublica and WPLN News.
Lampley will be under more scrutiny that his predecessor. The county’s juvenile detention facility will be overseen by a five-member board rather than the juvenile court judge — a change designed to bring greater accountability to a troubled system.
During the race, community members said they wanted to see a candidate that would prioritize rehabilitation instead of incarceration of kids.
“It’s not always about a child being in trouble and you need to lock them up,” community member Robbie Snapp said. “Everybody doesn’t need to be locked up. Somebody needs to be helped and have a hand up, instead of pushing them down.”
Snapp was a supporter of Lampley’s opponent, legal aid attorney and pastor Andrae Crismon.
At the polls on Thursday, resident Susan Jones said she liked both candidates and appreciated how hard they both campaigned in the community. In the end, she cast her ballot for Lampley.
“He seems so nice, and he’ll do a great job,” Jones said. She mentioned she also liked that Lampley is a family man. “And he has little kids, so he is really concerned about what’s going on with kids.”
Lampley’s first day on the bench will be Sept. 1.
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