Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
With the expiration of federal timber safety net funds, Linn County Juvenile Department has closed its peer court programs, including Sweet Home’s.
After 11 years of operation, the programs will be replaced by a more cost-effective risk evaluation process, according to Director Torri Lynn. It’s been a well-supported program, “so it’s disappointing to lose that program.”
The Juvenile Department has had to cut approximately 8 percent of its budget, Lynn said. The county Budget Committee initially left the department intact, but when a second round of budget cuts arrived, the department had to cut about $140,000 from a $4 million budget.
Closing the peer court program saved about $70,000, Lynn said. The department made adjustments throughout its budget, including changing food vendors and eliminating a part-time mentor position, to complete its cuts.
Department staff evaluated all of the department’s programs, based on the department’s goals and mission, he said. Peer court deals with the lowest-risk youth in the community. Only first-time offenders pleading guilty to minor charges were allowed to use the peer court program.
Those offenders would appear before a jury of their peers for sentencing, which included a wide variety of options, from writing papers to community service. Offenders would then serve a period on the peer court jury as well.
“So that’s where we decided we needed to make changes,” Lynn said. “There’s definitely a benefit to them going through the process.”
The program also gave youths a chance to volunteer and get involved in their community and leadership, he said. That part cannot be replaced, but the Juvenile Department will continue to serve the low-risk offenders.
Now, young lawbreakers will go through a risk assessment, based on the charges they face and other factors, Lynn said. The department will provide a higher level of service to higher-risk youth, the ones who will re-offend.
“We want to focus our efforts on the high-risk kids as opposed to the kids we’ll see once,” he said. “We’re trying to focus on how we provide services, which populations need the service, and how we deliver it.”
“This risk-assessment mode will be better in the long run.”
It will provide more flexibility, allowing the department to use its resources where they’re needed the most, he said. The department will want to work more extensively with a shoplifter who is likely to re-offend than a child who commits a slightly more serious crime.
Lynn said he has sent letters to Linn County cities offering to work with local peer courts if cities want to start their own.
The program used two full-time probation officers to oversee the peer court program and a part-time peer court coordinator at each location, Albany, Lebanon, Sweet Home and Central Linn. Volunteer judges presided over the programs.
The city would have to figure out how to provide a coordinator, Lynn said.
Sweet Home Police Chief Bob Burford said he is considering the possibility but he wants to find out how much “bang for the buck” the county got out of the program and how much “bang for the buck” Sweet Home could get out of it with a smaller budget.
It’s a thought right now, he said, but he is looking for information about Peer Court, its costs and data about its performance before taking it any further.
Cindy Rice was the coordinator for three years.
“I really liked the program,” she said. “I felt it was a very valuable asset to the cmmunity.”
Volunteers were exposed to training related to law enforcement and the judicial system along with concepts about rights and citizenship, she said. She also received enriching personal training as well regarding adolescents and behavior.
She also appreciates the feedback she has received from clients of peer court and seeing the differences made in their lives as they find successes, such as graduating from high school.
“It was a way for me to be engaged in the community,” she said. “I do understand where they’re heading with the Juvenile Department.”
“Peer court has a very high success rate,” Lynn said. “What I truly believe is I can produce the same results in a different way that’s more cost effective.”