Idaho juvenile corrections seeks funds as treatment costs, mental-health needs rise

Department of Juvenile Corrections Director Ashley Dowell and legislative analysts told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Feb. 18 that the department is asking for targeted funding as it sees growing mental-health needs among youth in custody and rising costs for residential substance-use disorder (SUD) treatment.

Dowell, director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections, said the agency’s staff and county partners “do tremendous work” but noted increasing rates of suicidal ideation and self-harming behavior among youth in custody. That rise, she said, has led the department to prioritize mental-health treatment and diversion options to reduce long-term contact with the justice system.

The department’s budget presentation, delivered by Legislative Budget Analyst Noah Peterson, listed specific requests to address operational and treatment needs. Among the enhancement items: a $380,000 one-time purchase from the Juvenile Corrections Endowment Income Fund to replace and upgrade radio equipment across all three state juvenile correction centers with “man down” functionality; and a $300,000 ongoing general-fund request…