County looks to change its juvenile detention agreement

In response to changes in state law regarding juvenile detention, Bourbon County Commissioners are looking for a change with its 26-year old contract with the Southeast Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Crawford County.

Following five consecutive executive sessions June 28, commissioners signed a letter addressed to the facility stating “Bourbon County Commissioners will have no obligation under this interlocal cooperative agreement after Jan. 1, 2020 if changes are not made to the billing system, which include the daily rate and monthly rate to counties in and out of this interlocal program.”

Currently, Bourbon County houses only a handful of juveniles each year at the center, but pays $10,029 per month under the contract. The number of juveniles to be detained in the future will decrease because of changes in state law that strengthens the requirement for detaining a juvenile.

Commissioners said the monthly rate charged by the facility is expected to decrease to the $9,000-range, but no exact figure has been presented to them yet. Commissioners said they also expect the county’s need to house juveniles at the facility to decrease.

Commissioners said the decision to end their participation in the agreement did not come easily.

“Where the angst comes in for withdrawing from the contact at this time is, in today’s society we have recognized there is a potential for someone who is considered a juvenile to commit a capital crime that would require them to be put in juvenile detention,” Oharah said. “With that scenario, they would be incarcerated for an extended period of time until their trial and we would be set up to have to pay an extraordinary fee to house them and we don’t know where they would be housed.”

“It scares me to death to withdraw from this thing,” Third District Commissioner Ruhl said. “My reason is this. It will take one situation of a kiddo doing something that could break this county if we get out of this because they (the SEKRJDC) could set the daily rate at whatever they want.”

Ruhl is a member of the SEKRJDC board. Oharah said that means Ruhl is in a position to start making recommendations for changes in fees to make it more feasible for the county to remain in the consortium.

Oharah said although no motion has been made, the commissioners have also discussed that if the county exits the agreement, the money spent on payments could be set aside for a period of time “to cover any unforeseen expenses surrounding juvenile crime.”