NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Officials say the state plan to close down the Taft Youth Development Center and transfer juvenile offenders to other facilities is causing delays in assigning juveniles and creating a flow of children into local juvenile detention centers.

But a spokeswoman for the state Department of Children's Services denied any problems related to closing the facility. Molly Sudderth told The Chattanooga Times Free Press that they were meeting their goal of no more than 30 days waiting in detention before being placed in a youth development facility.

Richard Bean, superintendent of Knox County's Juvenile Detention Center, said they are currently housing 22 children from the state while they search for a place to move them, much more than before the facility was slated for closing.

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Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com