Local officials and juvenile‑justice directors ask lawmakers to restore prevention funding and support youth violence prevention programs

County juvenile departments, city officials and youth‑development leaders told the subcommittee they rely on state juvenile crime prevention funding and Youth Development Division grants to keep young people from deeper system involvement.

Alice Perry, assistant director of the Clackamas County Juvenile Department, described a community diversion program run with Latino Network that served 392 youth in the current biennium and reported a 7 percent recidivism rate in 2023. She told the committee that the program’s bilingual, culturally specific approach helps youth fulfill diversion agreements and reduces deeper system penetration.

Molly Rogers, director of Wasco County Department of Youth Services, and the Oregon Juvenile Department Directors Association urged the committee to restore juvenile crime prevention funding to the continuing service level (agency recommended budget figures cited: current request $6,900,000; current funded $6,200,000). Rogers said counties and tribes collaborate on high‑risk prevention plans that address school failure, antisocial behavior and family support.

Travis Stovall, mayor of Gresham, supported Youth Development Division grants (including MOPI — Multnomah Outreach, Prevention and Intervention), saying investments helped Gresham reach a 478‑day stretch without a youth patrol shooting. He asked for additional investment in MOPI so local partnerships with community‑based organizations can continue.

Speakers argued juvenile prevention funding is cost‑effective and keeps youth out of higher‑cost deep‑end services. They asked the subcommittee to adopt the agency’s recommended funding levels for juvenile crime prevention programs and to preserve Youth Development Division pass‑through grants that support local violence‑prevention partnerships.