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Sheriff's juvenile services director briefs commissioners on diversion, detention and jail behavioral programs
Summary
Kelly Friesen gave a workshop on juvenile services across the 14th Judicial District: $80,000 in diversion funding, 147 youth screened with 102 diverted last year, CYDC caseloads (24 served; 16 admissions to detention) and a $248,000 jail‑based behavioral health program (JBBS).
Lieutenant Kelly Friesen presented an overview of judicial and juvenile services that the county coordinates for the 14th Judicial District, explaining how juvenile diversion, the Colorado Youth Detention Continuum (CYDC) and jail‑based behavioral health services fit together.
Friesen said the district receives $80,000 from the Division of Criminal Justice for juvenile diversion, which now requires that all youth with law‑enforcement contact be screened for diversion. "Last year, we had 147 youth referred to diversion. Out of that 147 kids, we actually diverted 102 of them," she told the board, noting that the district serves a higher proportion of high‑risk youth than the state average but reports strong success rates in diversion outcomes.
She described CYDC as a program that provides community‑based supervision to youth who are detention‑eligible and reported that, in the prior year, the district served 24 CYDC youth, with 16 detention admissions and 56.4 days over the two‑bed cap due to several serious cases. Friesen also reviewed jail‑based behavioral health services (JBBS), noting the county receives $248,000 from the Office of Behavioral Health to fund clinicians, case management and transition planning for adults in custody.
Why it matters: the presentation spelled out how state funding, screening tools and locally coordinated services are used to manage juvenile and behavioral health needs while attempting to limit unnecessary detention. Commissioners asked follow‑up questions about funding structure and cross‑county arrangements; Friesen noted the county is the fiscal agent for certain district programs and that interjurisdictional coordination is key to service delivery.
