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Sedgwick County Pursuing Grant To Fund Programs To Help Troubled Youth

Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex
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Last year, 54 minors in Sedgwick County ended up in juvenile correctional facilities. A new grant from the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) would keep youths in the community and out of a correctional facility.

Sedgwick County Commissioners approved the reinvestment grant application on Wednesday for nearly $615,000. The money comes from funds that were saved when the state defunded a program that had placed juvenile offenders in out-of-home facilities.

Glenda Martens, with the county's Division of Corrections, told commissioners the funding would create new programs and new staff positions.

"The programs that we are looking at are called Seeking Safety," Martens says. "A gender-based program, multi-systemic family therapy and trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy are all evidence-based practices that will fill gaps in Sedgwick County."

If KDOC gives final approval on December 1, there will be eleven new staff positions, including mental health professionals, a clinical supervisor and senior corrections officers.

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Carla Eckels is interim news director and the host of Soulsations. Follow her on Twitter @Eckels.

 
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.

 

Carla Eckels is Director of Organizational Culture at KMUW. She produces and hosts the R&B and gospel show Soulsations and brings stories of race and culture to The Range with the monthly segment In the Mix. Carla was inducted into The Kansas African American Museum's Trailblazers Hall of Fame in 2020 for her work in broadcast/journalism.