Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Justice topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sawyer County highlights diversion, new hires and alternatives to costly placements in youth justice update
Summary
Youth justice staff reported recent growth in referrals, new hires, diversion programming and use of alternatives such as the Challenge Academy to avoid expensive residential placements.
Youth justice staff told the Sawyer County Health and Human Services committee Aug. 12 that referrals have recently increased, new staff are joining the unit, and diversion programs are being used to reduce expensive out-of-home placements.
"We received a total of 11 [referrals] in July," Sarah, a youth justice staff member, said, noting a spike after a slow start to the year. Sarah added that since February 2022 the unit identified 31 juveniles for whom staff believe the program altered life trajectories: "The total number of juveniles that we came up with, that we can say we made a difference is 31. 31 kids in Sawyer County. We changed their path in life."
Staff described several cost-saving approaches. The diversion program will use informal agreements with families to avoid formal court filings, with the understanding that failure to comply can result in court-ordered conditions. Sarah said the district attorney has at times accepted plea agreements that keep cases at a misdemeanor level and make juveniles eligible for programs such as the Challenge Academy, an alternative residential intervention.
Sarah described one recent case in which a youth who could have faced felony charges instead agreed to a misdemeanor plea tied to voluntary participation in the Challenge Academy; that juvenile is reported to be progressing in the program. Staff said Challenge Academy placements can be less costly than higher-tier residential facilities such as Lincoln Hills.
The unit also plans to reduce travel costs for out-of-home case visits by shifting to quarterly in-person visits supplemented by monthly Zoom check-ins for months without a face-to-face visit. Sarah said two new youth justice workers will start Aug. 25, and the unit is coordinating with school partners and community service teams to expand early-intervention options.
Ending: Staff said they expect diversion and collaboration with community partners to reduce future out-of-home placement costs and legal expenses, and they will monitor referral trends as school resumes.
