Juvenile detention official makes appeal to commission
- Charlene Sims, Journal staff
- Apr 3
- 5 min read
By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – Michael Walden, the director of the Southeast Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center (SEKRJDC), spoke during public comment to the Linn County Commissioners on Monday, March 31.
Walden started out explaining that Linn County was a part of the detention center’s interlocal agreement until the end of 2024. He added that starting this year Linn County is not required to have anything to do with the detention center.
After several years of discussing the county’s affiliation with the detention center, the Linn County Commissioners made the decision in June of 2024 to withdraw from being a part of that interlocal agreement and paying approximately $68,000 per year for that partnership. For belonging, Linn County was guaranteed beds for juvenile offenders in Linn County.
A brief history of the partnership with the detention center, given in July 2022 by former county counselor Gary Thompson, explained that the facility partners were Allen, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson counties.
At that time, he told the commissioners that Linn County’s contribution had gone down from $73,170 in 2018 to $58,000 for 2023. In 2022, Linn County had used the facility for a total of 56 days. Thompson also told the commissioners that of the 11 counties, three paid less than Linn County and the rest paid more.
Thompson said that by paying this, Linn County gets a guaranteed bed for youth as required by law and a predictable fee.
At that time of the 2022 meeting, there was not a representative from Linn County on the board, and Commissioner Danny McCullough was appointed to represent the county.
McCullough, even though he did not attend the meetings at the detention center, recommended that Linn County find another way to house its juvenile offenders.
At the March 31 meeting, Walden told the commissioners that he wanted to update the commissioners on what the detention center board was doing and state laws that were coming down the pipe just as a courtesy to the Linn County commissioners.
He explained that without belonging to the interlocal agreement with SEKRJDC, the county did not have services for juveniles through them and he wasn’t sure what they had decided to do.
Walden informed the commission that part of the judicial districts and county requirements for the Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act is to have juvenile services within their juvenile justice plan.
“So if you don’t have anything yet definitely look at that, because that if you don’t have something in place it could potentially disqualify the county from state funding and grants for community-based services,” said Walden. “Just wanted to give you that information.”
Walden said that the board of directors that he works for ultimately decides what price is set of counties outside of our region or interlocal area. They have recommended that anyone who leaves our interlocal agreement and wants to put a kid in detention will pay three times the daily rate of the per diem.
He said that currently the per diem is $175, so if Linn County needed to put a kid in detention center the cost would be $525 a day. But SKJDC doesn’t have to accept kids from Linn County at this point, so the county doesn’t have guaranteed beds anymore.
Walden said that he would try to encourage SKJDC to still take Linn County kids, and he pointed out the center has worked for Linn County for more than 30 years. He also said that when Linn County left the interlocal, it also left its investments of about around $300,000 of investments made by Linn County in the facility.
Walden said he had a directors’ meeting with other juvenile detention centers in the state. He said that Johnson County was currently understaffed and sending kids to Douglas County. Douglas County was full and they were sending kids to SKJDC.
“We’re the only detention center in the state right now taking kids from outside of our jurisdiction,” said Walden. “So, hopefully you guys aren’t ever in a place like that. But, I just want to give you guys that information so that you know.”
Walden explained, “Juvenile detention is like emergency services. We’re like the fire department. You never want to have to use us but heaven forbid something happens in your county, not necessarily a Linn County kid, but maybe someone from Kansas City comes down and visits one of your lakes and they do something. Then, you’re in a situation.”
Walden told the commissioners that his door is always open for questions from Linn County or anything they wanted to talk about. He asked them to come down and see the facility.
Commissioner Alison Hamilton asked Walden if the detention center board just decided to do the times three per diem rate this past meeting?
Walden said that it was last year that that was discussed.
“Was that based on us?” asked Hamilton.
“No, ma’am,” answered Walden. “It was based on other counties and recommendations from other detention centers who are in the same regional status as we are.”
“Did anyone else leave you?” inquired Hamilton.
“No, ma’am,” answered Walden.
“When you say we left $300,000, what does that mean?” asked Hamilton.
Walden answered that was equity within the building and cash accounts.
“Are we ever going to get it back anyways?” asked Hamilton.
He told her if the organization dissolves you would have.
“If your business dissolves?” asked Hamilton.
“Yes, if the emergency services dissolves,” said Walden.
“Three hundred thousand dollars was our share for 30 years?” asked Commission Chair Jim Johnson.
Walden said it was.
“And not it’s gone,” said Hamilton.
“If you come back to the interlocal that would be as a county. Our board of directors are representatives of the 10 counties so it would ultimately be up to them and what they decided,” said Walden. “I have no. . .”
“But the chances of you dissolving the business are slim,” said Hamilton.
“There’s one that’s already closed, ma’am,” said Walden. “So, it is possible.”
Hamilton asked what Linn County is doing now, and Commissioner Jason Hightower said that Linn County had contracts with Wyandotte County on a per diem basis.
Walden said that the organization wanted to be good neighbors, and if Linn County had any questions or needed anything to let them know.
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