Beaver County's juvenile detention center will close by the end of the year because the county says it can't afford to keep it open.

Allencrest Juvenile Detention Center in Brighton, opened in 1957, is "economically infeasible" to operate, said Tony Amadio, chairman of the county commissioners.

The facility, which houses juveniles awaiting trial, used to have a secured capacity of 31 but recently lowered that figure to 18. There were 11 juveniles at the center at the end of February.

Mr. Amadio said declining state reimbursements were largely to blame for the decision to close. The county allocated a little over $2.1 million for Allencrest in the 2009 budget.

No decisions have been made about where to send juveniles as an alternative. Also in limbo are 40 employees.

Mr. Amadio and Bob Rose, head of juvenile services, said county officials will confer with the judicial system to figure out where juveniles will end up. Judges determine where juveniles are sent, and the county pays the bill.

As it stands, many juveniles in Beaver County are already sent to a variety of other facilities throughout the region, either prior to trial or after adjudication.

Most are private, like the juvenile detention center in Butler County run by Greg Zappala, brother of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.

No law requires counties to have detention centers.

County-run secure facilities like Allencrest, which is used for juveniles who cannot be released to non-secure facilities, are unusual for a community the size of Beaver County.

"Most other counties do not have detention centers," said Mr. Rose. "So we're not alone."

He said Washington County, for example, sends many of its juveniles across the border to a center in Ohio.