Study planned of Linn County’s juvenile division

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Linn County supervisors on Wednesday approved a yearlong study of the cost-effectiveness of programs at the Linn County Juvenile Detention and Diversion Services.

The supervisors unanimously approved a nearly $33,000 contract with the University of Northern Iowa to study the center’s programs.

Darrin Gage, the county’s director of policy and administration, said the study will help determine whether the county is getting “the best bang for our buck,” see what programs are working well, what may need to be expanded, and what areas could be more cost-efficient.

The study is not intended to find ways to cut the budget, he said,

The Linn County Juvenile Detention and Diversion Services includes several programs along with the detention center, including support to juveniles and their families to intervene or prevent criminal behavior.

The juvenile detention center holds minors who have been charged with breaking the law and are deemed a “risk to themselves or the community,” according to the center’s website.

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Kirsten Running-Marquardt, chair of the Board of Supervisors, told The Gazette the board has been discussing the study over the past few months.

This seemed like a good time to proceed since no study has been done in several years and there have been recent staff transitions, she said.

In an email to The Gazette, Joi Alexander, the county’s communications director, wrote that juvenile detention services are hard to staff everywhere -- not just Linn County -- because of the challenging nature of the job. This can lead to frequent transitions and positions being open, she wrote.

Along with determining the cost-efficiency of the service’s programming, another goal of the study is to ensure the programming is meeting the needs of the community, Alexander wrote.

“A goal of the study is to examine the programming to ensure Linn County’s services are meeting the industry's challenges and supporting the best outcomes for the youth,” she wrote.

At the meeting, Supervisor Louis Zumbach said this study is not about examining the staff but reviewing the county’s programming with a “third set of eyes.” Many things have changed in the juvenile detention industry in recent years, he said.

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“Even since I came here three-and-a-half years ago, juvenile detention (has) changed,” Zumbach said. “And the clientele they get … is probably more challenging to deal with than what it was 10 or 15 years ago.”

Running-Marquardt also commended the division’s staff for the work they do with juveniles and their families.

Gage said the study is estimated to take nine to 12 months to complete, with staffers ready to begin as soon as possible. After the study is completed, UNI will make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors, he said.

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