Jelly Roll has inspired thousands with his story of rising from an incarcerated teen to becoming one of music’s newest hitmakers and most beloved artists.
On Tuesday (Aug. 8), the Antioch, Tennessee, native took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for Nashville’s new Youth Campus for Empowerment, which will be located on Brick Church Pike in Nashville. A 14-acre site will include the serve as the new home of the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Center, and a pre-trial housing facility for justice-involved youth. The new campus will also include resources and agencies to aid families, as well as a 24-hour assessment center to support youth in crisis. The space will include meeting rooms and courtrooms to allow court staff, community partners, litigants and attorneys to hold private meetings and mediations to resolve family conflicts. A safe exchange facility will also provide a place for custodial visitation for families and children.
The current Juvenile Justice Center, located at 100 Woodland Street, opened its doors in 1994. Construction on the Youth Campus for Empowerment is slated to be finished by 2027.
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During the ceremony, four-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper, and former Billboard cover star Jelly Roll spoke about the importance of being present for the event, noting he spent his 14th, 15th and 16th birthdays in the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Center.
“That thing hadn’t changed nothing but the paint in 30 years, I personally know, because I was there,” he said during the groundbreaking ceremony.
“A lot of these kids are a victim of their circumstances and where they came from, so this is a really cool chance to change things,” he told NewsChannel5.
Judge Sheila Calloway led the way in the vision for the new facility. Davidson County leaders including Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Davidson County Attorney General Glenn Funk attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
Earlier this year, Jelly Roll opened a music studio inside the youth detention center where he was once incarcerated, and last month, he opened the Jelly Roll Music Studio at Genesee County Jail in Flint, Michigan.