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KITTITAS COUNTY Juvenile Court Services AGENDA STAFF REPORT - AMENDED AGENDA DATE: September 17, 2019 ACTION REQUESTED: Request to approve Professional Services Agreement between Sentinel Offender Services, LLC and Juvenile Court Services BACKGROUND: We value keeping kids in our community. Our goal is to significantly reduce the use of secure confinement for our youth by building strong detention alternatives and programming. Electronic monitoring is one alternative that we have identified to support our goal. Our youth are detained in Yakima County at $137.00 per day. While we know they are in a safe environment and their basic needs are met, we also know they become disconnected from our community and from their family and positive supports, educational programs, mental health/behavioral health treatments, substance abuse treatments and employment. It is our goal to significantly reduce and near eliminate the use of detention for probation violations for youth who present a low risk to community safety. Electronic monitoring will provide appropriate supervision, structure and accountability for youth. We believe we can save the County taxpayers a significant amount of money utilizing detention alternatives, specifically electronic monitoring while also keeping the community safe. I have been advised we can access the 1/10 of I% sales tax to fund electronic monitoring (this sales tax funds our detention costs). The estimated annual cost for us to run the program with 5 electronic monitoring units on hand and in use every day during the year is $6,716.76. In 2018 our youth spend 1,107 days in detention. While it is difficult to accurately estimate a cost savings, in review of detention stays in 2018, 1 estimate if electronic monitoring had been available as a detention alternative there was a potential to eliminate a minimum of 282 confinement days out of 1,107, a $38,634.00 savings in detention costs. INTERACTION: The Prosecutor's Office has reviewed the contract in accordance with Kittitas County process and approved as to form. The Presiding Judge of the Superior Court reviewed and signed the agreement. RECOMMENDATION: Approve the Professional Services Agreement between Sentinel Offender Services, LLC and Juvenile Court Services