County officials told the Support Services Committee Sept. 10 that two juveniles are currently in detention: one described as seriously violent and another as a short-term hold for safety concerns. The report prompted questions about services available in the juvenile facility.

During a later report, the State's Attorney said interpreter costs were high this month and that she had seen a bill of around $18,000 for interpreters. "We get reimbursed for all that," she said after discussing the billing. The state's attorney also described an instance in which staff used a handheld translation device, Pocketalk, to translate Spanish-language jail calls and interviews; the device helped identify statements that led to a quicker resolution of an upcoming trial.

Committee members and the state's attorney emphasized that human interpreters remain necessary in court. "Those translators have passed tests. They swear that they're gonna translate truthfully and accurately, but you wouldn't risk using a machine to translate for something as important as a trial," the state's attorney said. She said the device was used for interviews and preliminary investigations, not as admissible trial translation.

The committee did not take formal action on detention operations or interpreter purchases during the meeting but recorded the operational update and the note that reimbursement mechanisms exist for interpreter expenses.