Pulaski County is seeking funding to continue its Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. A rough draft of the grant documents is due to the state by the end of February.
Circuit Court Judge Mary Welker told the county commissioners last week that the grant funds a number of programs designed to keep children out of detention. “It’s doing an at-risk program called ‘Why Try’ in the schools to keep kids engaged in school,” she said. “It’s also dealing with truancy, and when we do that with those children that we deal with, then that affects the whole family and can actually change the trajectory of those kids, and that’s why it’s so important.”
The commissioners agreed to sign a letter giving Circuit Court permission to sign off on the grant paperwork rather than the Auditor’s Office, after there were difficulties meeting the deadlines last year.
JDAI Coordinator Dr. Natalie Daily Federer told the commissioners that the program has been effective at reducing the number of kids in secure detention “This past year, we only sent two children, and it cost the county less than $500 to house those kids for one night and the transportation costs,” she explained, “whereas, if you look at our statistics back in 2017, I believe the county spent over $30,000 in kids staying in secure detention. It’s about $127 a night.”
Judge Welker estimated that the county’s JDAI is serving around 100 kids through its various programs.
