photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday will consider approving a grant application that would help fund services for youths in the criminal justice system.

At its meeting, the commission will consider an application for Kansas Department of Corrections Reinvestment grants that would provide funding to support restorative justice practices, parenting classes, mental health and substance use treatment, and staff development for juvenile supervision. The grant application is for a two-year allocation totaling $196,696 for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

A memo in the meeting agenda says the grants would support four service areas. The largest allocation, $131,604, would help pay for mental health and substance use treatment for youths and families who are uninsured or under-insured.

“Addressing the prevalence of trauma among youth is a critical need, as traumatic experiences can significantly impact their well-being and development,” the memo said. ” … This includes offering a range of therapeutic interventions, support services, and educational programs tailored to meet the diverse needs of youth and promote their resilience.”

In addition, $52,458 would be allocated to Building Peace, a nonprofit that offers restorative justice and mediation services to families, individuals and communities in Lawrence. The organization collaborates with Douglas County’s court system, including the District Attorney’s Office, to help resolve conflicts and foster safer communities.

The Parent Project, which offers parenting classes twice each year through Douglas County, would use $6,958 to help fund its services. The program is designed to tackle challenges facing youth, such as drugs, violence, depression, social media and other issues.

The fourth service area involves the training of juvenile supervision staff on how to effectively use the Carey Guides, a set of handbooks and tools dealing with behavioral health. The memo states that $5,673 would be used for this service.

The grant funding would be split up to provide $98,348 for 2026 and $98,348 for 2027.

In other business, county commissioners will:

* Hold a work session with the District Attorney’s office and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to discuss their operations. The departments will share some past accomplishments, as well as current and future challenges and opportunities.

* Consider approving an application totaling $825,184 to the Kansas Department of Corrections 7th Judicial District Adult Community Corrections Comprehensive Plan grant, which helps counties develop and run community corrections programs for adult offenders, for the fiscal year 2026.

The memo states that $770,184 would fund community corrections services, a state-funded – but county-controlled – probation supervision program designed to develop community-based correctional sentencing options for adults who would otherwise be incarcerated in local or state facilities. In addition, $55,000 would be allocated for behavioral health services.

* Consider approving an application for a Kansas Department of Corrections Juvenile Comprehensive Plan Grant, which supports juvenile justice programs and services, for $570,965 for fiscal year 2026.

A memo in the agenda states that $37,199 would support the Bert Nash WRAP Program – which partners with local schools and assigns a master’s-level clinician to work with mental health staff – and the Douglas County Truancy Program. This program aids pre-truant, truant and court-involved students in grades K-8. In 2024, the WRAP Program served 640 youths, and the truancy program served 56.

The remaining funds totaling $533,766 would be used to support a variety of graduated sanctions programs, which is a series of responses to non-compliant behavior for juvenile offenders. The goal is to help juveniles avoid a criminal record.

The County Commission’s work session will begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Douglas County Commission meeting room at 1100 Massachusetts St. The business meeting will follow at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.