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Just beyond the razor-wire fence that encircles the adult correctional facility in Lino Lakes, on Apollo Business Drive, you'll find a parking lot. To the north side of the lot is a building where no kid or parent ever wants to have to spend time. Unfortunately, in 2006, about two kids a week from Chisago County did end up in this facility. Local law enforcement and the courts saw to it that 100 individuals from here saw the inside of the Regional Juvenile Center.

The East Central Regional Juvenile Center (RJC) opened in September 1997 and has enjoyed quiet success over the years. From all accounts it's a well-run, well-planned program. Last week there was a small event with the public allowed inside to mark the tenth anniversary of the RJC.

The 36-bed facility was built for $115 per square foot, which compared to building a contemporary correctional facility, is a major bargain.

The RJC was centrally-located to serve the counties that originated the center-- Chisago County and (now) nine additional counties. The location was also chosen to take advantage of cost-savings with the Anoka County Adult Correctional Facility next door already equipped for services such as meals preparation, security etc.

As a regional juvenile center member Chisago county predicts what its bed space needs will be for a given year and reserve beds based on this estimate. At the end of each year a "rebate" is returned for un-used beds, calculated on a portion of the full bed space lease rate. Chisago County's rebate for 2006 was about $5,000, according to Steve Paquay, courts services director. Chisago County had somebody housed there for a total of 458 days' use at $180 per day.

Paquay recalls this cooperative facility was the only way to adequately address space needs for juvenile offenders 10 years ago. None of the counties on its own had enough money to build a stand alone center. "We were always driving around the region, trying to find a bed for a juvenile, there was just no place to put them" Paquay added. "We all had the same issue; so we pooled our monies and went together. This has worked well and been real stable...we know we have a space for whenever the need comes up"

A typical juvenile-aged offender will end up in the RJC by order of a judge as sentencing or as a consequence for a probation relapse. The "vast majority" of local juveniles are there for detention until a court hearing can be held, Paquay said. Prosecutors have to file a case on a juvenile within 36 (workday) hours.

Paquay mentioned that over the years a new RJC program has grown out of increasing substance abuse issues.

The "stabilization and transitional program" is a short-stay where a minor-aged offender can decompress off chemical use and get mentally and physically psyched for entering actual CD treatment.

Paquay said, "We knew that the first few days in treatment were very expensive and the kid wasn't getting much accomplished because they were still dealing with the immediate effects of substance withdrawal." Paquay said he is hearing from treatment programs that juveniles now enter more ready to hear and absorb the treatment message after having transitioned through the RJC.

Chisago County has three beds reserved at Lino Lakes for use at any given time. An un-used bed can be leased to another user at about $180 per day.

The usage based on number of days is well below the number of days used in previous years.

Paquay said the length of stay for offenders has dropped for Chisago county and as an overall facility statistic.

Chisago County had juveniles held an average of almost nine days in 2002. In 2006 this was 4.5 days.

Numbers of actual youth have increased though. The RJC held 1,271 youth in 2002 and 1,333 in 2006. The center over its life has seen 10,000 juveniles come and go.

Chisago County sends three males to Lino Lakes for every one female. The youngest resident there is 10, the oldest allowed is 21.

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There were no juvenile inmates available to interview at the special open house last week.

Officials and corrections staff led tours throughout the three floors of the facility and described the check-in and room assignment process. There are schoolrooms on the third floor, a gym and small recreational yard. The juveniles' "rooms" are cells with concrete bed slabs, a combined steel sink/toilet and are about as big as a large shower stall.

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