A new proposed program aimed at putting juvenile offenders to work cleaning up graffiti and trash in the city could become a reality if approved as part of a grant through Community Corrections.
Robert Sullivan, Community Corrections director, presented the Juvenile Justice Authority Block Grant to Lyon County commissioners Wednesday morning during the study session. The grant has many components including a plan to provide start-up costs for a program that would involve juvenile offenders in removing graffiti and picking up trash.
Sullivan said he talked with Emporia’s police chief, Gary Smith, about the program to make it a collaborative effort. The program would target the most recent graffiti first and work back to the oldest graffiti. It would keep track of what is removed and how much trash is picked up, Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the youths would be supervised at all times and a transport driver would drive the van to transport the youths.
Sullivan also stated that the juvenile offender population has been decreasing over time.
“With that trend being statewide, it’s a very positive thing,” Sullivan said. “It’s the lowest since I can remember and I’ve been here 12 years.”
Sullivan also talked about the department’s truancy prevention program. Since the program’s inception, the number of filings have gone down from 54 to four.
“That is just huge for us,” Sullivan said. “It’s something we’re excited about.”
If funding for community corrections continues to be cut, however, the program’s future could be at stake. With a $27,000 cut in funding, the truancy officer had to be partially shifted to juvenile assessment and intake.
“She’s only spending about 30 percent of her time doing truancy,” Sullivan said.
In other matters during Wednesday’s meeting:
- Chip Woods, county engineer, brought several items to the commission including: Approving Woods to attend the Kansas County Highway Association spring conference in Hutchinson on May 10-12 and paying the $100 registration fee and related expenses; approval to send out the request for bids for structural steel; approval to send out bids for galvanized steel bridge plank; approving the contract for engineering services with BG Consultants for plans for the replacement of Bridge 240 on Road L north of Highway 56; and approving Woods’ attendance at the Kansas Transportation Engineering Conference at Kansas State University on April 12-13 and paying the related travel expenses.
- Commissioners discussed appointing Kenneth D. Buchele as a non-lawyer member of the District Judicial Nomination Committee for the Fifth Judicial District.
madpoet (anonymous) says...
I hope this works out. It may discourage kids from getting into trouble if the know they actually have work off their sentence.
March 18, 2010 at 3:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
GRANT- SHMANDT.
fine the offender enough to pay for the supervisor to watch them clean stuff up.
I hereby pledge the money to send Sheriff Eichorn to the Maricopa county school of sheriffism. ?????????
no more orange jump suits, make them pink or lavender.
No more indoor airconditioned cells, out door tents in a fenced compound.
You must work in order to eat, if you are "diasabled" you are restrained to a hospital gurney with a IV feeding tube.
The only t.v. you can watch is Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck, (can anyone say death penalty).
Does anyone remember a few years back when we remodeld and expanded the jail and it was said the extra prisoners from other jurisdictions would pay for it?
Let's see what happens in next years budget discussions.
March 18, 2010 at 8:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Doug (anonymous) says...
Corbin for commisioner!!!
March 19, 2010 at 12:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dml (anonymous) says...
Ok, so I see where the county is constantly approving expenditures to pay for the County Engineer to go to all these conferences. What is he doing at them? He sure isn't learning how to improve our roads!!!
March 19, 2010 at 10:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
How about having the juveniles parents pay the wages/saleries, etc. of however many people it would take to supervise the juvenile offenders, while they clean graffiti and gather trash, as well as any supplies required . Oh, and also make it mandatory that each juvenile offender wear a sign that has their parents names and addresses on them .
March 19, 2010 at 10:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )