Morgan County corrections board: juvenile program shows modest gains as state funding outlook clouds plans

Morgan County Community Corrections on Feb. 1 reviewed annual program results and moved to submit its juvenile grant packet while flagging uncertainty about future state funding. Speaker 1, who presented the packet and results, said staff are “preparing to serve 250 youth in prevention and 50 in intervention” if the grant is funded as projected.

The board heard that program reassessments showed an average risk reduction of six points over the year, short of the board’s target, and that the program exceeded its incentive-to-sanction ratio and participation goals in several areas. Speaker 1 said incentives and evidence-based practices produced strong completion rates and cited a program success number of about 95 percent for certain measures.

Board members also discussed the grant outlook. Speaker 1 said the county has been told informally that juvenile community corrections funding may be distributed to more counties, which “may mean everyone gets a smaller piece of the pie.” They reported staff estimates that statewide award levels discussed internally ranged roughly from a 10 to 12 percent reduction to an 18 percent cut from earlier expectations; Speaker 1 warned that the grant currently pays a majority of a staff member’s salary and that reductions could force difficult staffing decisions.

Speaker 2 provided comparative performance data, noting year-to-year differences in pretrial assessments and supervision outcomes (392 assessments in 2025 versus 363 in 2024; pretrial supervision combined success rate down to 55 percent in 2025 from 60 percent in 2024). Drug-screening volume and negative-test rates were presented as program monitoring metrics.

The board formally approved the juvenile packet by voice vote and recorded a motion to submit the required documents to the state Department of Corrections. The packet includes project-income tracking and stated outcome measures; Speaker 1 said the board will assign a project number for project income to meet DOC reporting expectations.

What happens next: the board expects state notice on grant awards in the coming weeks; staff said they will provide quarterly status updates and will reassess staffing plans if the final award is smaller than projections.