[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6382904,"mediaKeyId","2125983-6c81d5ff3579be00b613a7731f8d0725","parentId",2125983,"title","Juvenile services emphasize family-based therapy and community placements; request heating-plant repairs at Youth Correctional Center","audioSeconds",1827,"startMs",5571000,"endMs",7398000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2125983-6c81d5ff3579be00b613a7731f8d0725&start=5571&end=7398","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2125983-6c81d5ff3579be00b613a7731f8d0725/thumbnail_5571000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6382904/North-Dakota/Juvenile-services-emphasize-family-based-therapy-and-community-placements-request-heating-plant-repairs-at-Youth-Correctional-Center","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382904-13204ae8772253b53fe905749d0c3396/orig.mp4?Expires=1770441175&Signature=kbHchbPt~UGLjnK9eeEz-AYuCCb16qam35~atzJ-8CGM4Z8LGnZtLTbT40fqn4q6ud7oixq4m-vj1hjkEG3ap6tkxqTHx7vi75oH4oDR1zHmSX7qQp~gjmMkIkl8iYYt8WQS74WPN7h-zZxvn3cE1Tz5vfmQHPT4KhPqmp1I7CwO45b7JmPP79lFGOROuu-77~8MBl~YVpssZPuCOvXTtZsKyxvnzgJS44Lp9qt6Tzhn6rxSrAyLc5wYuz9~X8-z40zZhkGvgsM2-D-rkoqYoOfL510xwu7oSDFkpQAc8~iwxNUmgS3b3wrxfDt-4dnc08ELFQIMGMRAEw0F-GqmhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division, ND","date","2025-01-16T00:00:00Z","article","Lisa Bearguard, director of the Division of Juvenile Services, told the committee the juvenile arrest rate in North Dakota peaked in the mid-1990s and has generally declined, but that the state still needs a mix of community-based services, family therapy and brief residential capacity for some youth.

\"The juvenile court act in North Dakota had not been significantly updated since 1969,\" Bearguard said, and she credited the Juvenile Justice Commission and recent policy work for modernizing responses. Bearguard told the committee the division is emphasizing intensive family therapy and evidence-based in-home approaches to reduce out-of-home placements.

Nut graf: Bearguard said the division is expanding Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) and other community treatments, using Title IV-E flexibility to pay for front-end services rather than only residential placements. The division requested targeted budget items for short-term residential contracts, replacement of an aging heating plant at the Youth Correctional Center and one FTE for security at YCC.

What the division told legislators

- Juvenile trends and capacity: Bearguard provided 30 years of juvenile-arrest data and explained the division's care-and-custody decision-making. Of roughly 3,905 juvenile referrals in 2023, about 2,000 were diverted from the system, 579 saw a judge, and 114 were committed to the Division of Juvenile Services.

- Family therapy and IV-E changes: Bearguard described BSFT as an intensive, in-home treatment designed to improve family functioning and reduce delinquent behavior. She said federal changes allowing IV-E funds to support preventive and in-home services have been important to keep youth closer to home and out of costly residential placement.

- Contracts for mid-level residential needs: The division asked for funding to stand up short-term community contracts to cover a mid-level bed need created after IV-E changes reduced funding for the older group-home network; the division reported about 15 contracted beds in regional partners (examples cited: Grand Forks detention center, Moorhead Detention Center, Valley Boys Home in Breckenridge).

- Youth Correctional Center needs: Bearguard and plant director Chris Jangula described the YCC central heating plant as more than 100 years old and in structural decline; the division requested funding for heating-plant replacement and extraordinary repairs as part of a broader maintenance request.

Why it matters

Bearguard told the committee that short placements in the Youth Correctional Center average roughly six months and that the agency seeks to limit the duration of confinement when safe and possible because of evidence about harms from long placements. Expanding community and family-based treatments, she said, helps reduce the number of youth needing secure custody while focusing state resources on higher-risk cases.

Ending note

Lawmakers thanked Bearguard for the data-driven briefing. The division asked for continued state support for community contracts and the heating-plant work; the committee asked for detailed cost estimates and for the agency to return with contract and program performance information.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division Jan 16, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Lisa Bearguard, director of the Division of Juvenile Services, told the Senate appropriations committee that juvenile arrest rates have declined from 1990s peaks but the system still needs family-based therapy and brief residential placements to keep youth safe and close to home.","taxTitle","Appropriations - Human Resources Division, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28901,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6382899,"Pretrial, reentry and county overflow: DOC expands community supervision while prisons remain over capacity",233,9415000,9648000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2125983-6c81d5ff3579be00b613a7731f8d0725&start=9415&end=9648","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2125983-6c81d5ff3579be00b613a7731f8d0725/thumbnail_9415000.jpg","/articles/6382899/North-Dakota/Pretrial-reentry-and-county-overflow-DOC-expands-community-supervision-while-prisons-remain-over-capacity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382899-0707ace6f71413efe05415490b2b017a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770441175&Signature=ayl6QffFZXrlWeXgARQNhsluaYwxErtsudLxXwiI7VnHaQNUZHkJdAdXsRkFWffGN8q6JoPsBZ~q0woP1D3cEjZpB1HdAH47AsFK8OJUZcaWV2wM-h4SWlIJagrjl8G090-As3XQ9EQ4A~OYvOcpWhDGW3IQK1NGU5yq6NcK0QOuz5jE8-1AU~zlZFVI4kvJM3U0d8l3j9KcD6T-yE7oDo9LxcpnsEwKfTe931CG8uiI~TasGdsdQz9wx7oIxbKeWkR4D8Xn0R0JHqsoq5~G7CoX7ueAKLoSXUypq5ckRHRz1j6L3sSoVsvcTN2DdbSVJKiMiOFhl~GoODNUQbIoXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told the Senate appropriations panel that pretrial services and expanded reentry centers have helped reduce county jail pressure, but that statewide jail and prison populations continue to exceed rated capacity in several facilities.

Colby Braun, DOCR director, and staff said pretrial supervision\u0014which provides assessments and community oversight for people awaiting trial in several districts\u0014has shown results in reducing custodial populations and supplying better information to judges. Braun described Grand Forks as a site where appropriations supported the program and said the department will bring pretrial services to full-time staffing in that district.

Nut graf: Despite investments in pretrial and reentry programming, DOCR said it remains over capacity at several men's facilities and uses partnerships with counties to house overflow inmates. Counties receive state reimbursement for room-and-board and medical costs for deferred admissions and overflow placements, a cost DOCR says it prefers to reduce by increasing community programming and adding temporary state bed capacity.

Key points

- Capacity: Agency slides showed the rated capacity for key facilities (examples given): James River Correction Center (capacity 490), Missouri River Correction Center (187), North Dakota State Penitentiary (779) and two Heart River Correction Center cottages (combined 54). The department said current combined population plus transitional/reentry beds was near or above the stated capacity for the biennium.

- Deferred admissions and county billing: DOCR described a population of inmates who remain in county jails under deferred admission when the department lacks space. \"If somebody gets sentenced today at Burley County and we don't have room to bring them in, we start paying for them, for room and board plus medical costs,\" a department official said. County charges vary; DOCR presented rough per-day estimates that county costs can range from about $85 to $125 per day plus medical, compared with an internal estimate of roughly $148 per day for care inside state facilities (estimates depend on services required).

- Reentry and transitional placements: The department emphasized partnerships with county jails (Mackenzie County, Rugby, Dickinson) and contracts with private providers (e.g., Management & Training Corporation) and local reentry centers to add available beds and work-release slots. Braun highlighted Bismarck Transition Center and the addition of reentry capacity in Minot and Dickinson as part of the inmate management plan.

- Temporary man-camp plan at MRCC: The department described a plan for two temporary 44-bed units at MRCC (88 beds total) as a short-term measure; those beds would be portable units intended for programming while a larger women's facility project proceeds.

Why it matters

Overcapacity affects classification, programming schedules and staff workload; the department said it prioritizes bringing in the most dangerous or clinically complex people first when space is short. Committee members asked for details on costs and prioritization; staff said they would provide additional data on county billing, overflow costs and the classification criteria used to select inmates for county placement.

Ending note

Legislators asked the department to continue work on reentry and pretrial programming while providing clearer cost comparisons for county placements vs. state facility care. DOCR said it would supply more detailed fiscal estimates and a prioritized plan for proposed temporary bed units and community expansions.","Department of Corrections Director Colby Braun told the Senate appropriations panel that pretrial services and reentry programs have reduced jail pressure, but several state facilities remain at or above rated capacity and the department is using county beds and temporary units to manage overflow.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6382908,"Corrections officials flag alarmingly high turnover among correctional staff; median tenure under six months",818,3040000,3858000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2125983-6c81d5ff3579be00b613a7731f8d0725&start=3040&end=3858","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2125983-6c81d5ff3579be00b613a7731f8d0725/thumbnail_3040000.jpg","/articles/6382908/North-Dakota/Corrections-officials-flag-alarmingly-high-turnover-among-correctional-staff-median-tenure-under-six-months","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382908-9ba72befbfd59aa96f74ef7fc90fe15e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770441175&Signature=eNWowNfYRdC2u9bNyU8tr6KQLtlhUTHf-A9wRmNXhGBvPqgPZdxuJ2NhCn4-bIT1BRXYQPtr7dAkt2NHbiYQP20JVntuyzbxFIeooToHDG1nvoCMYa~Sy36P1mbH3FfU~Ng3jQYl7FcDEfLwXb7z5IjH6SDmz6SYHkSt46HCkCThhpGtbvgztW3s1hcJwJr3UhP2dmf3xFj8GPi3JGhLcBc5D~3srFu4Fd4BOH-it4Jcew3YCuS-x60WSHD8oF1erymMPoV~566EwF65gwmK2R9zwTnyYMv3-eOGOH8XUJbDdGBEwEZWg0NQNCD0eIW7br5uHpG0epw931K6Pztk0g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Travis Engelhardt, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's chief human resources officer, told the Senate Appropriations Committee the agency's overall turnover fell to just under 20% for calendar year 2024 after a difficult prior period, but that correctional officer losses remain especially high.

\"We are losing between 40 and 60% of all our hired correctional officers in that first year,\" Engelhardt said. He added that when the department analyzed tenure, \"the median stay of a correctional officer in those two years was five and a half months. So essentially, we train them and then they're gone.\" The committee heard detailed exit-survey data showing about 70% of departing employees reported having another job when they left and 60% said the new job paid more.

Nut graf: The staffing crisis affects facility operations, programming and safety, the department said. DOCR is seeking continued targeted market-equity funding to raise hiring rates and address pay compression that has left experienced staff paid near the same as new hires. The agency also supports legislation to move state correctional officers into the public-safety retirement plan\u0014a change the department says would make state positions competitive with county and local employers.

Details and why it matters

- Turnover numbers: Engelhardt said correctional-officer turnover historically averages 30\u000035%, but the agency experienced a sharp increase in 2022\u000023; for some positions the department lost 40\u000060% of newly hired officers within their first year in the 2022\u000023 period.

- Pay compression: Engelhardt described a compression problem that emerged after targeted market-equity increases. He told the committee, \"If you look at the 5-to-10 year service group, there's a 3% difference in pay from a 10-year correctional officer to a brand-new correctional officer. That's what I mean by compression.\" The department said the legislative market-equity allocation helped hiring but created internal compression issues that should be addressed.

- Retirement plan disparity: Engelhardt highlighted that state correctional officers are currently not part of the state's public-safety retirement plan, unlike county correctional officers and other law-enforcement personnel. He said a pending bill in the legislature would add state correctional officers to the public-safety plan; the department supplied an estimated fiscal figure but noted actuarial updates are pending.

- Recruitment factors and response: The department described a complicated set of causes\u0014shift work, the inability to telework, the physical and emotional demands of corrections work, and a decline in qualified applicants starting in 2019. DOCR said it added a talent-acquisition manager and is reviewing recruitment, selection and pre-employment assessments to reduce mis-hires and early separations.

Member questions and follow-up

Committee members pressed for comparison data with other states and for more detail about the age and tenure of departing staff; Engelhardt responded that he would provide comparative wage data and said some requested analytic detail was in the handout provided to the committee. Engelhardt also noted a marked improvement in registered-nurse turnover after pay changes, dropping from near 50% to below 25%.

Ending note

Lawmakers asked the department to return with additional benchmarking and prioritized cost options. The DOCR said its priority is to hold staff pay competitive with county employers and to reduce early separations that leave shifts and supervision teams understaffed.","Travis Engelhardt, chief human resources officer for the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told the Senate Appropriations Committee that correctional officer turnover remains unusually high, with the department losing 40\u000060% of newly hired officers within their first year in recent years.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6382910,"Senate panel hears Department of Corrections budget request covering women's facility, treatment, IT and Hepatitis C funding",11675,463000,12138000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2125983-6c81d5ff3579be00b613a7731f8d0725&start=463&end=12138","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2125983-6c81d5ff3579be00b613a7731f8d0725/thumbnail_463000.jpg","/articles/6382910/North-Dakota/Senate-panel-hears-Department-of-Corrections-budget-request-covering-womens-facility-treatment-IT-and-Hepatitis-C-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6382910-2e5b1e58fa7088abea137fddf2a906e1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770441175&Signature=IICHnDI2MJZDGjTJAORuEfZnkh3x8rPfiR~e63EI9sbReMm9h3o7X9Qqt-bnWX~j4juF7lRogf0rQi-2V4OSjVGtVOt1FmHeSooiOzDx3rb3daqtngcRe7p6L4mtk8FDHaEzfrV3IHKyX302ZMTnGanQ-yfIIDXa6B1a51-TOYBRK5~zpcVMcWb9CgZc6ymk8-k-T3fNUsms405JXMAtg1oa9BvVBecx2ebZoZTkWYizZND9NF2IQ4M4ZptPqmq-bm1DJxKf41IQzYtt-AGKaCQ5W5ySe3uraI2Lu4L4eKJkpDPZpoe4bn3Q2yuj12GJdAqyXOGWKTHjjDY4NYFTGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Senator Deaver opened the Human Resources Division public hearing on Senate Bill 2015, an appropriations measure for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR). Colby Braun, director of the department, and Michelle Zander, DOCR chief financial officer, presented the agency's base budget, new requests and several one-time items the department says are needed to maintain operations and planned projects.

The appropriation bill under review covers the department's central office, adult facilities, juvenile services and community corrections. Colby Braun, Director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told the committee the department's work focuses on people \"whether it's people who work there or it's people who live in our facilities or if it's people who are supervised out in the community.\" He said the budget presentation would highlight facilities, parole and probation, pretrial services and other sections of the agency.

The DOCR asked the committee to fund several multi-year and one-time needs. Michelle Zander outlined FTE adjustments and vacancy-pool transfers the agency used in the current biennium, and described line items in the executive recommendation: restoration of prior one-time inflationary funding for food, clothing and inmate wages; funding for IT and data-management enhancements; maintenance and plant repairs; and multiple equipment and safety requests, including body cameras, tasers and ballistic vests for staff.

Why it matters: the department says several items in the request are tied to operations and safety, and to projects already underway. Braun told the committee the new women's facility is a central project, and the agency is carrying forward legislative funding and bid packages for an expansion at the women's facility. He also said the department expects to complete other capital projects within budget, but that some plant work and extraordinary repairs remain on the list.

Key details from the hearing

- Women's facility and beds: Braun described the ongoing project to construct a new women's facility and an interim plan to add beds at the Missouri River Correctional Center (MRCC) campus, including two 44-bed units (88 beds total) intended as temporary units. Separately, the department has added 44 beds to the women's facility and released the first construction bid package for that project.

- Hepatitis C: Braun said funding provided in the current session has enabled the department to treat people in custody for hepatitis C. \"When we're done and at the end of this session, every single person who currently resides in one of our prison facilities will be cured from hep C,\" he said.

- IT and client management: Braun said the department's client management system (called ELITE) is at end-of-life and needs replacement or significant modernization. Michelle Zander and staff requested IT/data-management funding to address the system and other public-safety IT needs.

- Heating plant and extraordinary repairs: juvenile services director Lisa Bearguard and plant services director Chris Jangula described an aging heating plant at the Youth Correctional Center that the department says is more than 100 years old and showing structural failures; the department requested funding to replace the heating plant and to address deferred maintenance across the system.

- One-time vs. ongoing funding: Zander described prior one-time allocations (ARPA/other carryover) the agency used for deferred maintenance and operations. The executive recommendation restores some previously one-time increases to ongoing budgets for inflationary items; other capital requests are submitted as one-time SIF requests.

What the department asked for and next steps

The department's executive recommendation includes both ongoing restorations (inmate wages, medical/food inflation and salary increases) and one-time SIF items (IT upgrades, plant and heating-plant repairs, kitchen equipment, dental imaging units and safety equipment). Zander said some federal grants and awards (notably VOCA and other victims grants) have declined, creating pressure to use state funds to keep community subrecipients whole if federal awards do not recover.

Braun warned the committee that pending legislation outside this bill could have fiscal effects on the DOCR budget. He specifically referenced a potential Senate bill (2128) that, as drafted, would reduce eligibility for work release and reentry centers and change credit-earning rules (an 85% time-served requirement was described), which he said could increase bed demand and cost.

Ending note

The committee scheduled further line-item review in the afternoon. Committee members asked the department to provide prioritization of one-time requests and additional detail on IT and deferred maintenance packages. The session recessed for lunch pending further analysis and follow-up materials from staff and agency presenters.","Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Senator Deaver opened the Human Resources Division public hearing on Senate Bill 2015, an appropriations measure for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR).","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Juvenile services emphasize family-based therapy and community placements; request heating-plant repairs at Youth Correctional Center

Pretrial, reentry and county overflow: DOC expands community supervision while prisons remain over capacity

Corrections officials flag alarmingly high turnover among correctional staff; median tenure under six months

Senate panel hears Department of Corrections budget request covering women's facility, treatment, IT and Hepatitis C funding