Plumas County JJCC advances juvenile-justice plan priorities, weighs truancy incentives and pilot programs

Plumas County’s Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council met Jan. 28 to gather input on the county’s juvenile justice consolidated plan and to discuss how state grant funds should be used to prevent youth involvement with the justice system.

Keaton Allred, chief probation officer and chair of the JJCC, told members he wants the committee’s guidance before bringing a completed plan back in April for a formal vote. “What I’m looking to do here is receive guidance from this committee on what you would like me to include in that plan,” he said.

Members reviewed multiple grant streams that support programming. Allred said the county historically set aside about $26,500 annually from JJCPA for new JJCC programs, a number committee staff are considering keeping “in that ballpark.” Fiscal officer Miguel Hurd estimated JJCPA base funding at roughly $80,000 a year plus about $30,000 in accumulated interest, for an approximate total in the low six figures.

The committee discussed a $5,000 annual line that has been reserved for truancy incentives but has seen little use because of distribution logistics. Stephanie Tanaka asked about the dollar amount underlying the plan; Allred said, “That money has not been utilized at all,” and explained the committee last year prepared a bundled method for purchasing and distributing incentives so schools and offices could receive items with receipts for auditing.

Members urged broader language in the plan so the truancy allocation could cover family-level supports beyond gift cards — for example, transportation, minor vehicle repairs or other one-time expenses that would materially help get a child to school — provided the county retains proper invoices and audit documentation.

Prevention and program proposals drew particular attention. Courtney Akinroad, Plumas County Office of Education prevention coordinator, described expansion of Friday Night Live chapters, vaping testing in school bathrooms and incentive experiments that reward students with 95% attendance. The group agreed to continue the Parent Project parenting classes in next year’s plan; Allred said those sessions are inexpensive and produce steady local turnout.

Allred also described inexpensive, in‑house journaling and forward-thinking cognitive-behavioral interventions for high‑risk youth that currently serve small cohorts and could be expanded into after‑school or tutorial settings. “It’s cheap. It’s not expensive stuff. So we can expand that to any needy youth groups,” he said.

Members tentatively backed a pilot of Third Millennium online courses (four-hour modules at roughly $35 per class) for in-school suspension or tutorial assignments; Allred proposed a pilot at Quincy High School and said the vendor can create separate referral paths for county and probation clients.

Committee members raised operational challenges that could limit multiweek programs, including staffing, transportation and parental capacity to bring children to repeated sessions. On residential or high‑cost placements, Allred noted that the juvenile justice realignment block grant (SBA 23) provides about $250,000 annually but is narrowly targeted to youth eligible for commitment to the former state DJJ system; he said the county will consult state reviewers (OICR/OYCR) when seeking broader uses for at‑risk youth.

The JJCC plans to incorporate the committee’s feedback into a draft juvenile justice plan and return in April for a vote; the plan must be submitted to the state by May 1.