Riley County to add Repath app as condition of juvenile supervision

Megan Lewis, director of Riley County Community Corrections, told the commission the Kansas Department of Corrections has made a smartphone supervision application, Repath, available for intensive-supervision juveniles and that the county will implement it as a standard condition of supervision.

Lewis said Repath offers curfew compliance checks, message-and-reporting features for participants and officers, location-based check-ins and reminders for court and treatment appointments. "It would provide tracking. It would be a reporting another tool where they could message their officer and they could text back and forth," Lewis said, describing features intended to improve compliance and reduce detention.

Lewis said the county consulted with local leadership and received approval at a recent JCAP presentation; staff will begin incorporating Repath into conditions of supervision and modify existing cases accordingly. She emphasized that the application can be used as an alternative to detention and can provide evidence of positive compliance for courts.

Lewis also reported staffing changes and grant-management status: Community Corrections has hired a new juvenile intake officer (Emma Lalonde), continues to manage existing caseloads and has been able to draw down funds through the Automated Standard Application for Payment system for its BJA-funded programs despite the federal shutdown. County staff said contingency plans have been prepared in case federal systems are temporarily inaccessible.