Juvenile diversion program in jeopardy

The program designed to help local kids who run afoul of the law is itself in trouble. The Sisters Juvenile Empowerment Team (JET) program is faced with a financial crisis and is about to disappear from Sisters — again.

Funding cuts in 2003 put the program on ice until December 2003 when Eric Beckwith was assigned to Sisters three days a week to oversee the first-time offender diversion program.

Now Beckwith’s time has been cut back, which may spell the end of the program, despite pledges to keep it running.

In September 2004 Jenny Scanlon, Director of the Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice Department, explained, “We took over the diversion program from the sheriff’s office almost two years ago. It was run on a grant through the sheriff’s department, which has continued to support the diversion program for Sisters and La Pine.

“But, because the sheriff’s department will no longer be able to financially support this program, Eric’s current position will be cut from its 3/4 status to 1/2 on January 1, 2005. We are hoping to keep it as at least a part-time position.”

Scanlon concluded, “We’re very invested in the services we provide in Sisters. I continuously hear from Bob Macauley (Sisters High School principal) and Tim Hernandez (School Resource Officer) about the great partnership with Eric and with our department and we want to continue that. Our pledge to you is that we will continue to do that.”

That pledge came before there was more fiscal bad news.

In late January, Sisters City Manager Eileen Stein received notice from Scanlon that no funds will be available for diversion programs in Sisters, Bend, and Redmond after July 1.

Federal Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant (JAIBG) funding has supported diversion programs in Deschutes County. As of July 1, 2005, that funding has been reduced to only $10,000 for fiscal year 2005-06. The $10,000 and an additional $65,000 from the Deschutes County General Fund are being allocated to the La Pine diversion position, none elsewhere.

To maintain a diversion program in Sisters will require the infusion of $53,626 for a full-time position. Of that, $33,285 is wages, $20,341 is benefits. The position could also be funded at less than full-time.

One of the main components of the diversion program threatened by courts is “Outlaw Justice.”

In December 2004, Beckwith instituted Outlaw Justice as a substitute for the previous teen court. Outlaw Justice is intended to work as a collaborative effort between the offender, the victim (if any), the justice department, and the community. Instead of a teen court of the offender’s peers, the offender answers to a panel consisting of the victim, members of the justice department and community members.

Under Outlaw Justice, the offense is expunged from the minor’s record if sentencing is completed according to the contract and no additional offenses occur for a specified time period.