Board approves Johnson County adult and juvenile corrections year‑end reports for state grant compliance

The Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 25 approved Johnson County’s adult and juvenile corrections year‑end outcome reports for state fiscal year 2025, documents required for the county’s Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) grant funding.

Rachel Mestad of the Johnson County Department of Corrections told commissioners both reports were reviewed by their respective advisory boards and highlighted improvements in assessment accuracy, staff training and reentry support. ‘‘For the adult report, highlights include strong staff proficiency in risk‑needs and assessments with accuracy rates averaging over 90%, expanded coaching and training opportunities, and reentry support through housing and work release programs,’’ Mestad said. For juveniles, she said staff implemented KDOC’s family engagement model and achieved ‘‘99% accuracy rates’’ on assessment reviews and made more than 800 referrals for services through the juvenile intake and assessment center.

Commissioners asked about outcome measures beyond the state’s prescribed reporting. Mestad said the county had revamped its key performance indicators (KPIs) during the budget cycle to include one‑year post‑completion measures and a ‘‘true success rate’’ that captures outcomes broader than KDOC’s narrower definition of success. She and commissioners also discussed KDOC’s ongoing work to revise its funding formula; Mestad said Johnson County has been underfunded relative to its population and case mix and that a phased increase beginning in state fiscal year 2027 could bring material additional funding over three years.

The board voted to submit both the adult and juvenile year‑end reports to KDOC as recommended by the Community Corrections Advisory Board and the Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board. The motion passed with six votes in favor; Commissioner Myers was off the dais at the time.