Sponsor: County Attorney's Office
Title
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Amendment to the Agreement with Northeast Youth and Family Services
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Recommendation
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1. Approve the amendment to the Agreement with Northeast Youth and Family Services for diversion services to increase the not-to-exceed amount of the contract to $380,000 from $350,000 with all other terms and conditions remaining the same.
2. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the amendment.
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Background
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The County has recognized the need to provide more youth opportunities to make amends for the harm they have caused without furthering their justice involvement and saddling them with collateral consequences that will inhibit their ability to successfully transition to adulthood and self-sufficiency. Therefore, the need for diversion services for youth is increasing. The County is increasingly relying on community partners to provide youth with community-based alternatives to traditional justice system involvement to:
a. help youth understand the impact of their actions on others;
b. promote healing, accountability, community safety and wellness;
c. address the underlying contributors to harmful behavior and meet individual needs of youth;
d. improve connections to school, community and positive caring adults;
e. engage youth in positive pro-social activities; and
f. support youth to prevent harmful behavior from recurring.
Ramsey County entered into a two-year professional services agreement for diversion services with the option to renew the term of the agreement for three one-year periods with Northeast Youth and Family Services. Ramsey County is now in the final months of the final year of this contract. Adding $30,000 to the existing agreement with Northeast Youth and Family Services will allow the County Attorney’s Office to continue to provide these diversion services to youth through 2020. All other terms of the professional services agreement with Northeast Youth and Family Services will remain the same.
The County Attorney’s Office has a current ongoing Request for Proposals posting to procure services for 2021 and beyond. Contracts with new vendors will be brought to the County Board for approval in December.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☐ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
Youth referred to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office are disproportionately youth of color, the majority being African American youth, and about 70% male. More than 2/3 of youth are between the ages of 15 and 17, and similarly, more than 2/3 are referred to the County Attorney’s Office for a non-felony-level offense, most commonly theft, assault and disorderly conduct.
The County Attorney’s Office recognizes that challenging behaviors are often an indicator of underlying trauma or other adversity in a young person’s life. The County Attorney’s Office also knows that justice involvement in adolescence can be detrimental to the growth and development of young people and inhibit their success as they transition to adulthood. Therefore, The County Attorney’s Office is working collaboratively with the community and system partners to (re)imagine justice for Ramsey County youth by transforming the responses to be more restorative and focus on understanding and addressing developmental needs and other underlying contributors motivating a young person’s behavior.
Community Participation Level and Impact
Ramsey County community has expressed for years that the County Attorney’s Office needs to transform the approach in the justice system to be less punitive and more compassionate. As a result of the County Attorney’s Office collaborative efforts to (re)imagine justice for youth, the office has been working together with the community to develop a continuum of restorative responses and community-based services to help people make amends for the harm they have caused and to succeed in our community.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
Funding is available in the County Attorney’s 2020 operating budget.
County Manager Comments
County Board approval is required to amend the agreement to increase the contracted amount in accordance with County procurement policies and procedures.
Last Previous Action
On December 22, 2015, the County Board approved and executed agreements for Juvenile Diversion Services with Northeast Youth and Family Services for up to five years and a total not to exceed $350,000 (Resolution B2015-408).
Attachments
1. Amendment to Northeast Youth and Family Services Agreement