Allen County commissioners are giving serious consideration to pulling out of a consortium with the Girard Juvenile Detention Center because of a new law that severely restrict the kinds of instances that puts a youth behind bars.
As commissioner Bruce Symes explained Senate Bill 367, It drastically restricts the detention of juveniles from July 1 on. Whereas we used to be able to detain youths who were not only a potential harm to others, but also potential harm to themselves, now they cannot. Kids who were a runaway risk, in bad foster home situations, abuse victims and sexual trafficking victims, will no longer be housed in the Girard facility.
The new law restricts detention strictly to youths who commit a felony with a firearm and are a danger to others or property under different grading systems, Symes said.
Symes said that there was a real possibility that if they remain a member of the consortium, they may never use it.
The county currently pays $75,000 per year to house youth offenders at the center.
We may use it for one youth in a given year. It is now just so restrictive that we may not be able to send people there. It was developed in a different time when it was savings for counties. This is a big change coming down, Symes said.
The Girard facility is designed for youths up to 17. The county jail is for those 18 and older.
The commissioner went on to say that he has been told other options than Girard exist for youth offenders.
County counselor Robert Johnson said the bill, which went into effect over the summer, has made it where only offenders who commit the most heinous crimes receive detention. Sheriff Bryan Murphy added that under the new guidelines, only one crime committed in the county in the last 25 years a murder in Humboldt would have allowed housing at a detention center.
Symes said the real travesty is the kids that are a harm to themselves, kids who were taken away for their own protection, could potentially fall through the cracks.
Unless the state and local entities come up with alternative programs, I dont know what will happen to them. I was told there was funding for that and they are looking into it, Symes said.
If the county does get out of the consortium and a crime is committed that requires detention, Murphy said the going rate a few years ago was $180 per day to house a juvenile or around $5,400 per month.
There are certain requirements that a jail has to meet, Murphy said. They have education requirements and that is why they charge the higher rate. We used to have about one or two juvenile offenders a month, and we could keep them for only 48 hours. They would have their hearing and usually be released. Unless it was something serious. But now we dont even have that option.
Symes asked commissioners for permission to speak at the next Girard Detention Center board meeting, which Bill King and Jerry Daniels agreed was the right choice.
Johnson said commissioners likely will not make a decision until the spring.
