State funding approved for juvenile corrections alternatives

SANDPOINT – Bonner County commissioners approved a proposal to secure state funding for programs assisting juvenile offenders on June 8.

Ron Stultz, director of Justice Services, proposed a plan that would open the door for the state to pay for certain costs related to juvenile court cases.

The two treatment plans gaining approval for state funding are Community Based Alternative Services, and Substance Use Disorder Services.

“What it really does, is offsets the cost of being able to keep a kid in the community versus committing them to the Department of Juvenile Corrections,” said Stultz at Tuesday’s meeting, “it costs us all when that happens.”

Polygraph tests and enrolling in therapy programs are among the services covered by CBAS.

SUDS allows minors to participate in programs addressing drug and alcohol use.

Stultz described the cost of juvenile detention as “well over $100,000” and compared it to the few thousand it would cost to participate in rehabilitation programs.

The approval of the agreement allows the county to request funding from the state’s Department of Juvenile Corrections for 2021-2022.