Juvenile justice programs will be more community based under a measure approved in the Kansas Legislature.

State Senator Jeff Longbine touched on the issue during remarks at a Junction City Noon Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday, noting that there are some juveniles that need to go to an incarceration state or group home. “But pulling some of that back and trying to deal with a community based program, I think, has some merit.”

Longbine feels the program will work well if the state continues to fund it. “The reality of it is that we haven’t funded anything very well lately. ”

He reported that the legislation does include a lock box in it to make it difficult to divert money from the program, but then you have to ask who has the keys to the lock box. He said that is often the governor, so officials will continue to see how it works.

Longbine also commented that he was aware of the severe reservations that Geary County and community corrections officials in the county had about the changes impacting juvenile justice.