The juvenile justice reform bill signed last week by Gov. Sam Brownback envisions a positive shift from detention to treatment for juvenile offenders in Kansas.

It’s a sound philosophy, but it will only succeed if the state makes the necessary investment in the community services that will oversee young offenders in less restrictive settings.

The new law is aimed at reducing the number of low-risk juvenile offenders in out-of-home placements. Instead, more of those young people would be allowed to stay at home while participating in community-based educational, vocational and therapy programs.

Officials estimate that the number of youths sent to out-of-home facilities will drop by about 60 percent in the next five years, resulting in a savings to the state of about $72 million. The plan is to reinvest that money in community-based programs.

The new law may be well-intentioned, but it has not been universally praised. The Kansas County and District Attorney’s Association, for instance, issued a statement on Monday saying the law will “undermine the discretion of the courts to hold offenders accountable and protect the public.” It also noted that the state had not identified the necessary funding to support the law’s “expansive agenda.”

The funding issue for juvenile justice reform may remind some Kansans of promises that were made when the state began to close residential treatment facilities for people with mental illness. Moving those patients to less-restrictive community treatment facilities was, in principle, a positive move, but state funding for community mental health services has not kept up.

Hopefully, the community services for juvenile offenders won’t face a similar circumstance. It would be unfortunate if the positive aspects of shifting more young offenders to community support programs are overshadowed by problems related to the underfunding of those community services.