Davis County Budget Committee Hears Pretrial Services Update; No New Funding Requested

At a meeting of the Davis County Budget Committee, pretrial services staff presented an operational update and said they are not requesting additional funding this year, though they may seek positions and training support in future budgets. Speaker 3, the program presenter, described staffing, space improvements, program outcomes and training needs.

The presenter said the unit is now fully staffed after hiring a supervisor and currently has five case managers, a supervisor, a legal technician and the program lead. "We're not asking for any additional requests this year," Speaker 3 said, adding that future budget requests are possible as the program grows.

Speaker 3 described modest facility improvements made this year, including converting a coffee room to an office, adding cabinets and storage, and installing a resource stand in the waiting room intended to help clients access information.

On program tools, staff said they continue to refine how they present Public Safety Assessment (PSA) information to judicial officers after technical assistance in 2023. "We improved our space this year... and we improved the quality of our information provided to judicial officers by offering them a more accurate and informative interpretation of the public safety assessment," Speaker 3 said, crediting training received from a technical assistant identified in the presentation.

The presenter gave several performance measures to characterize program outcomes, saying the appearance rate for clients is 79%, success while supervised is 75% (no new charges) and the safety rate is 95%. "That means folks are not committing new high‑level crimes while under our supervision," Speaker 3 said.

Staff reviewed supervision options they use or can recommend, including drug testing, GPS monitoring and ankle monitors. Speaker 3 suggested that OBIF funds could help cover drug testing and clinical evaluations for mental‑health or substance‑use assessments.

Workload figures were presented: the office averages roughly 55 referrals per month; case managers average about 62 clients on their caseloads; and the legal technician had processed about 954 referrals to date, a number projected to reach roughly 1,000 by year‑end. Speaker 3 projected the program will have supervised over 700 cases by the end of the year.

The committee and staff discussed training requirements. Speaker 2 noted mandatory BCI training required by the state and that BCI representatives must maintain compliance. Both speakers also discussed national professional development through NAPSA and the value of rotating conference attendance among case managers as the office matures.

On continuity of care, a committee member suggested and staff supported the value of a dedicated screener at booking and consistent case tracking to link people to services after release. Speaker 3 said having a screener at intake would allow staff to flag persons with prior issues and notify appropriate team members.

Speaker 3 also presented a cost comparison to illustrate fiscal tradeoffs, stating a per‑client pretrial cost of about $3.20 compared with an average incarceration cost figure cited as roughly $48. The presenter used that contrast to argue for program cost‑effectiveness.

Committee members acknowledged the county’s pretrial program has been asked by other jurisdictions to share practices; Speaker 3 said Davis County has hosted or met with other Utah counties and that state representatives have observed their work. Staff thanked individuals who helped with furniture and space changes.

No motions or votes were taken on the item; the presentation concluded and the committee adjourned for the day.

Next procedural step: staff may return with specific future budget requests if the program seeks screening positions, additional training funds or other resources.