By Ed Meyer
Beacon Journal staff writer
Summit County Juvenile Court has received more than $940,000 in federal funding as partial reimbursement for its many probationary programs and activities.
From that sum, about $303,000 was issued to Summit County’s general fund, court officials said this week.
The money was received during the 2012 calendar year through the juvenile court’s participation in the federal government’s Title IV-E program, which provides funds to help pay the costs of juvenile placements and training of court staff members.
Juvenile Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio said the federal program first requires the court to make reasonable efforts to place a delinquent child in a familiar environment.
“We put our primary efforts into how we can safely place a child in their own home with the support of different agencies and with the support that we can provide,” Teodosio said.
“Then, for those kids we place in residential treatment, the program allows us to be reimbursed for those costs.”
If substance abuse, for example, is an issue for a juvenile found to be delinquent, the court must closely monitor the case to ensure sobriety and consistent participation in treatment programs, Teodosio said.
The Title IV-E funds were critical, therefore, in maintaining those services in the face of wide-ranging budget cuts during years of economic recession, she said.
Since 2008, the juvenile court’s share of Summit County’s budget has declined by 21 percent, Teodosio said.
“If we would have had to cut that 21 percent from our budget, we would have been down 36 positions. We have been able to lose only 16 of those, and that’s mostly been by attrition,” she said.
Court Administrator Don Ursetti said the funds also were used to reimburse the court for costs in the areas of vocational readiness, sex offender and substance abuse treatment and truancy prevention.
Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or at emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.