Christian Journey Courses asks county for sustained funding for jail behavioral-health program

Christian Journey Courses’ executive director told the commissioners on Tuesday that the nonprofit’s mentoring and behavioral-health curriculum for jail inmates has shown strong local results and asked Kendall County to fund the program on a fee-for-service basis.

Why it matters: The organization said it has been operating a pilot in the county jail since January 2022 and expanded to both men’s and women’s programs in 2023. The group said each enrolled inmate receives more than 20 hours of mentoring and that corrections staff reported improved atmosphere and prisoner behavior when classes are in session.

Program and costs: Executive Director Lynn Heckler described the program as a behavioral-health intervention designed to teach life skills, conflict resolution and job-readiness. The organization asked for $73,730 from the county to support a full-time coordinator, modest operating costs, materials and modest bookkeeping and marketing expenses. Heckler said her organization currently operates on a lean budget and that the nonprofit’s leaders have been doing much of the work pro bono.

County response and metrics: Commissioners praised the program but asked for measurable outcome data, including recidivism or follow-up indicators. Sheriff’s and jail staff present said they do not keep formal recidivism metrics tied to the program but reported, anecdotally, that participants rarely return to the jail. Commissioners suggested the nonprofit pursue grants and other outside funding and noted the county provided emergency funding ($12,000) in a prior year; they asked Christian Journey Courses to supply metrics and clarified that any fee-for-service contract would require county procurement and contracting steps.

Next steps: The commissioners requested a formal breakdown of outcomes and costs and instructed staff to evaluate whether a contract model is the appropriate mechanism to fund the program moving forward.