OMAHA — “JAC” turns 20 years old this year.

And on Tuesday, about 100 fans — including Douglas County administrators, judges, attorneys and community service providers — celebrated the program that so far has served an estimated 28,000 at-risk youths in Nebraska’s biggest county.

Officially called the Juvenile Assessment Center, JAC reportedly saves taxpayers at least $1.4 million a year by redirecting minors who have encountered law enforcement onto a path away from the court system and prison.

Director Shawne Johnson said the need for diversion programs are critical, pointing to Nebraska’s ongoing criminal justice reform challenges — and the state’s $366 million expense to build another state prison.

“We really have got to stop the trajectory of youths going into the adult prison system,” she said.

Based at a campus near 41st and Pacific Streets, JAC was born out of an effort by county administrators to identify program areas in need of big efficiencies. The county’s corrections and juvenile justice system became a target.

Since its creation, the screening and assessment center that gets its referrals from the Douglas County Attorney’s Office grew from serving youths with low-level offenses to handling all minors that have a run-in with police and who are not already involved in a court proceeding, Johnson said.

The JAC team assesses the minor’s needs and matches them with the appropriate supervisory, treatment, community or partner program that can reduce the likelihood of another offense.

“It’s not just a case,” County Board Chair Mary Ann Borgeson said at Tuesday’s event. “It’s a child. It’s their family.”

Johnson said an evaluation from Category One Consulting found that JAC saves taxpayers between $1.4 million and $4.5 million annually in part by reducing the need for more intensive case management services.

She said about 23% of the youths served at the assessment center become repeat offenders.

In a nod to growing demand and confidence in the JAC, the County Board last week gave a boost to the center — approving a measure to add six staff members to the 13 already working full time.

Private funding through the Sherwood Foundation Juvenile Justice Reform grant will cover the staff expansion’s first year price tag: about $360,000.

The county increasingly is to pick up more of the cost until, in the fifth year, the full expense will be paid from the county budget.

Johnson said the additional employees will allow the JAC team to spread to different satellite sites. The center already works closely with various community organizations, matching the youths referred by the County Attorney to mentorship or other programs within those nonprofits that fit the minor’s needs.

Among those who spoke at the 20th-anniversary event, held at the county’s new downtown Justice Center, was Kathy Kelley, who, as the county’s chief administrative officer in 2003, set out to look for ways to make the government more efficient.

Kelley lauded team members who were at that ground level, including Kim Hawekotte who is now is the county’s administrator for juvenile justice reform.

Hawekotte said that helping to design and launch JAC was a professional high point, calling it the accomplishment she is most proud of in her career.

This story was originally published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. It is part of the national nonprofit States Newsroom. Find more at nebraskaexaminer.com.