New juvenile corrections director tells committee mental health, diversion are top priorities
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Summary
Ashley Dowell, the governor's appointee to lead the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections, told the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee she intends to prioritize mental-health treatment, trauma-informed care and diversion to reduce youth entries into the correctional system.
Ashley Dowell appeared before the Idaho Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee as the governor's appointee to lead the Department of Juvenile Corrections and described mental health and diversion as top priorities for her agency.
"My background is in mental health. I'm a licensed therapist," Director Ashley Dowell told the committee, saying she was appointed to the department in June 2024 and has worked in the criminal justice field for about 16 years, including with the Department of Corrections and as executive director of the Commission of Pardons and Parole.
Dowell said she was surprised by the "level of acuity of mental health with some of the youth in our custody" and said the department would focus both on in-custody treatment and on strategies to divert youth from entering the juvenile correctional system when appropriate.
"I would really like to work on addressing that both post release and also working toward diverting those kids from ever coming into a correctional setting in the first place to the best of our ability," she said.
Dowell also told the committee she has found the department's facilities clean and well-kept and praised staff, while acknowledging the department sees room for improvement. She said the department's census increased after an all-time low in May 2024 and that recidivism rose over the past year; the department is working with judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, public defenders and probation to identify gaps and reduce returns to custody.
"Corrections is kind of a funny thing because you wanna work yourself out of a job. I would be delighted if we didn't have a need to continue to see kids in our custody anymore," Dowell said.
Senator Melissa Wintrow asked Dowell about her philosophy in juvenile corrections; Dowell reiterated a trauma-informed, treatment-focused approach and emphasized the department's partnerships with county and community providers.
The committee did not take a formal vote on Dowell's appointment during the meeting; Chair Laura Lakey said the committee will vote on confirmations at a subsequent meeting.
