Serving as Architect of Record, NELSON conducted a Project Definition Study for the new Westchester County Youth Detention Center (WCYDC) in response to the state’s Raise the Age legislation. This 80-bed, 106,000-SF facility, jointly certified by OCFS and SCOC, is locally administered by the Westchester County Department of Probation and operated in partnership with the Children’s Village. The facility’s flexible housing design provides clusters for Adolescent Offenders, Juvenile Offenders, Juvenile Delinquents, and Females—supporting operational adaptability and individualized programming.

Through stakeholder engagement, space programming, and operational analysis, the NELSON team applied a collaborative, data-driven approach to ensure the new facility addressed both policy and population changes while maintaining cost efficiency. The resulting plan reflects best practices in juvenile detention reform, with a focus on safety, rehabilitation, and long-term operational sustainability.