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Committee examines juvenile justice budget, Jetson intake plan and staffing, seeks more funding for treatment and reentry
Summary
The Senate Finance Committee reviewed the Office of Juvenile Justice FY26 recommendation, covering new Jetson beds, population trends, recidivism and efforts to expand vocational and clinical programs. Senators pressed OJJ on staffing vacancies, recreation funding and follow‑up treatment for youth.
The Senate Finance Committee discussed the Office of Juvenile Justice’s FY26 budget recommendation and operational plans, including interim funding for Jetson Center beds, new vocational programming, staffing efforts and measures to reduce recidivism.
Carrie Couvillion of the Senate Fiscal Services Division presented the OJJ budget. She said FY26 recommended authority increases to about $197.8 million with 1,070 authorized TO positions, a net increase of approximately $19.5 million over current year authority. The largest single agency‑specific adjustment listed was a request of about $12.7 million and 77 TO to fund 44 interim beds at Jetson as the facility transitions to a new Jetson campus and the state prepares a new secure facility. Couvillion also listed projected supplemental needs for FY25 totaling roughly $22.7 million, mostly for personal services and contract services.
Secretary Damon Lofton (Secretary Lofton in transcript) and Undersecretary Jason Starnes described operational priorities. Lofton said the department has focused on improving facility safety and staffing levels after several years of turbulence and turnover. He described progress reducing vacancies at some facilities and said training and cultural changes were central to stabilizing operations.
Senators asked detailed questions about staffing, vacancies, recreation and treatment resources. Lofton and Starnes said statewide vacancies had fallen from much higher levels but remained uneven across secure sites; some facilities remained more than 20% understaffed while others had recovered. The department runs periodic recruitment academies and has adjusted onboarding to expose recruits to facility environments before training so that hiring yields more durable employees.
On programming, the department described expanded vocational offerings: welding, carpentry, heavy equipment and forklift certification, fiber‑optic training, and culinary and culinary‑adjacent training through partnerships with community and technical colleges (for example, Nunez and community‑college partnerships). Lofton said programs are being expanded where facilities have suitable space and motivated youth.
The committee probed provider contracts. Undersecretary Starnes said OJJ works with roughly 15 residential non‑secure providers under approximately 20–21 contracts that deliver continuum‑of‑care services such as group homes and treatment placements. Couvillion said contract payments to residential and foster providers total tens of millions of dollars (she cited about $46 million in one line item for contracted residential and foster services in FY26). She said continuum‑of‑care (community partnerships and diversion services) represents roughly 28% of the agency’s operating budget.
Senators pressed the department on recreation and aftercare. Committee members repeated testimony they had previously received from facility staff that recreation supplies and enrichment were sometimes purchased by staff from their own funds; OJJ officials said recreation is funded through operating budgets and a youth welfare fund but agreed to provide a clearer, facility‑by‑facility breakdown of recreation and program funding. Lofton and Starnes said they are pursuing a short‑term agreement to bring a national juvenile training group to Swanson to reduce aggressive incidents and build staff capacity, and requested funding to support that engagement.
Why it matters: OJJ’s budget funds secure‑care facilities, community placements, and supervision. The agency’s ability to fill vacancies, stabilize facilities and expand treatment and vocational programming are central to lowering recidivism and addressing community safety concerns.
Looking ahead: Senators asked for follow‑up materials on provider contracts, the list and status of vocational pilots, the basis for projected supplemental requests, facility‑level recreation budgets, and staffing vacancy data by facility. OJJ requested supplemental funding requests and described planned operating costs if Jetson’s interim beds are used in FY26.
