County hears from probation officers

Much of Monday’s regular commissioners court meeting went to Wise/Jack County Juvenile Probation officials explaining their jobs and the continued need for more funding.
Chief Probation Officer Kristi McQuiston said funding from the state has dropped more than $23,000 over the last four years with only a slight increase expected in this upcoming fiscal year. In Jack County alone, the cost for detention and resident cases has more than quadrupled over the last four years.
Average cost of detention is between $100-$181 a day. To house in a residential placement facility can range from $103 to $197 a day. Probation officer Debbie Cook, who works Jack County cases, said the average age of offenders is 14.6 years old with children dealing with a history of violence and mental health needs.
Forty percent of children are housed in juvenile detention with another 27 percent going into placement facilities around the state and country, which tend to be cheaper and better for the students in the long run, Cook said.

To read the complete article, see the July 24 edition of the Herald-Gazette.