Kenosha County juvenile intake reports longer stays, more deferred prosecution agreements

Mary Beyer, a juvenile intake representative, told the Kenosha County Judiciary and Law Committee that the office saw a modest shift in how cases are handled in 2025 and is watching detention trends closely. "The law allows for a maximum of 12 months in the contract," Beyer said when explaining deferred prosecution agreements, which she said increased last year because more families attended scheduled meetings and were willing to sign agreements.

Beyer described court referrals as packets submitted by law enforcement, Kenosha DCFS and county schools alleging that a minor needs protection, services or has violated law. She said referrals from DCFS fell by 13% in the most recent year but added, "I cannot speak to why that was; they would have to tell you why there were fewer referrals." Beyer cautioned that the department had not tracked the cause of that decline.

On custody and detention, Beyer said intake has two full‑time and seven part‑time workers and that only law enforcement and Kenosha DCFS may request custody. She reported that average length of stay increased from 13.15 days in 2024 to 15.49 days in 2025 and that the county was billed for 249 more detention days year over year. "This was a result of housing more youth at detention centers with a lower daily rate," she said, noting that the overall detention expense was about $5,000 lower despite more bed days because the county used lower‑rate facilities more often.

Beyer reviewed budget implications and told the committee the county board approved a $345,000 budget for juvenile detention spending, and she anticipated an unspent carryover of roughly $217,000, which together would yield about $562,000 available for 2026 if admission and bed‑day trends continue. The report flagged that Beyer’s office does not currently track recidivism across placements and that such tracking would require cross‑facility data sharing.

Committee members asked several operational questions, including whether juveniles placed in out‑of‑county facilities return at higher rates (Beyer said she did not track recidivism) and how juveniles are transported (Beyer said initial custody transport is usually handled by the sheriff’s department and transfers between secure facilities are handled by the sheriff or the receiving provider). Beyer said most court hearings for detained juveniles are now conducted remotely by Zoom or phone. The committee did not take formal action on the report; members thanked Beyer for the update.