-
.
Counties wishing to house detained juveniles in Hardin County will need to pay more for the service this year.
Jan. 9, the Hardin County Commissioners Court approved a request by Juvenile Probation Department Chief Monica Kelley to increase the daily rate of detention services for outside counties, effective Feb. 1. Kelley recommended an increased cost for juvenile detention beds to that of $200 per day; the rate jumps to $300 per day for high-risk suicide juveniles.
Kelley reported that Hardin County is currently charging outside counties $155 per day for detention beds and $250 per day for high-risk suicide juveniles.
“Most of the counties are going up to $200 or more per day,” said Kelley, who noted that her department currently has 24 contracts with outside counties and there are 45 detention centers in Texas.
“Our’s is one of the smallest,” Kelley advised of the Hardin County center. “We have seven beds and there may be one county smaller than us.”
Kelley said seven detention centers do not accept any outside contracts from other counties.
At $200 per day, starting Feb. 1, if all seven beds were occupied throughout the year, the county would earn $476,600. The Fiscal Year 2024 budget for the Juvenile Probation Department is $786,326.
The court also approved outside juvenile detention contracts with Anderson, Angelina, Austin, Chambers, Cherokee, Coryell, Ellis, 33rd and 424th Judicial District in Gillespie, Grimes, Houston, 1st Judicial District in Jasper, Newton, Sabine, San Augustine, Johnson, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Freestone, Madison, Navarro, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity, Shelby, Tyler, Walker, Waller and Wharton counties, effective Feb. 1.
Chief Edward J. Cockrell, Sr., of the Jefferson County Juvenile Probation Department, said the county does have contracts for detention and charges $110 per day.
“We do not accept youth for highrisk suicide only,” Cockrell added. “They must have committed an offense.”