2009 Kitsap County Budget Book - Kitsap County Government

JUVENILE SERVICES
devoted to assessing needs, developing and administering the court’s Family and Juvenile Court Improvement Plan.
Funding also provides for the training of the case coordinator.
Truancy Intervention Program
The role of the Juvenile Department in truancy cases is to monitor juveniles who are reported by the schools as truant, and
assist them in the compliance of the requirement to attend school. Truancy interventionists meet with school officials and
other collateral agencies involved in the case plan of the youth and family and recommend resources to support or
accelerate a successful resolution of truancy issues.
VI. Program Overview
Program:
Description:
Initiatives:
Detention
The detention facility is a 24 hours per day/7 days per week facility which serves the needs and sanctions of
criminal offenders and status offenders alike. The key components of the Detention Facility are:
1. Secure Detention – houses all pre and post disposition juvenile criminal offenders in Kitsap County. Contracts
have also been secured to “rent” bed space for like juvenile criminal offenders of Jefferson County; the
Suquamish Tribe, Skokomish Tribe and the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe.
2. Secure Crisis Residential Center (S-CRC - one pod that houses juveniles who are the subjects of law
enforcement’s involvement due to runaway behavior; or juveniles placing themselves in circumstances that
constitute a danger. Bed space is paid for by DSHS, whether or not the beds are occupied. This Center is jointly
shared with Pierce County through an arrangement that was conceived in 2000. Note: S-CRC budget (CC
9426) is separate from Detention budget (CC 9422).
3. Alternatives to Detention Program – a multi-faceted program that has the following individual components:
• Work Crew – juveniles who would otherwise be incarcerated at the Detention Facility are provided
opportunities to perform non-paying community service work at various local private non-profit, public, and
government agencies.
• Electronic Home Monitoring (EHM) – juveniles who would otherwise be incarcerated at the Detention
Facility are rigorously screened for acceptance of the electronic monitoring option, and an ankle bracelet is
installed on the juvenile and monitored for compliance by a contractual company.
• Kitsap Alternative Transitional School (KATS) – first opened its doors to students in 2003. Its mission
has been to provide 220 day (day reporting) educational programming for students who are on a term of
probation, and who have been either long-term suspended or expelled by their schools of origin. KATS has
been successful at providing these learning opportunities to a population of students who have
demonstrated significant behavioral and academic deficits to the point that no other local learning
institutions are desirous of continuing these students’ enrollments. While the goal of providing a highly
structured environment for these students continues to be accomplished, the predicted by-product of these
efforts has been to negate the opening of a pod (a living unit of 12 detainees) in the south end of the
Detention Building. Because of the 24/7 staffing costs necessary to do so (straight time salaries/benefits;
and overtime “backfills” for staff trainings; and staff sick and annual leaves), the development and
maintenance of the KATS program has proven itself to be a cost effective and viable alternative to
incarceration.
• Employment Development Program (EDP) – Juveniles who are on a term of probation are provided an
opportunity to be paid to work at one of the county sites through an arrangement with the County’s Fair and
Parks Department. The optimum desire (goal) is to be able to employ a consistent total of 12 participants
throughout the year. A summertime program of six participants would maintain the core continuity of this
program.
1. Assess each juvenile offender’s need for secure incarceration versus placement into the Alternatives to
Detention program.
2. Continue utilization of the KATS program to eliminate the need to open one additional pod in the south end of the
Detention Facility.
3. Continue to promote the concept of the Employment Development Program, and provide highly qualified,
screened, and trained juveniles for the available employment opportunities for this program.
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