The Wyoming Department of Family Services may provide a "Band-aid" fix for Cornerstone Programs, Inc., so the private corrections company can continue running the Natrona County Juvenile Detention Center.

Cornerstone has been steadily losing money since it took control of JDC operations in March because of dwindling inmate populations. In the last two months alone, the company has sustained more than $70,000 in operational losses alone.

In a conference call Thursday that included the county commission, Cornerstone representatives, officials from DFS and Sheriff Mark Benton, DFS Director Tony Lewis suggested that there may be a way to subsidize the company's losses with state grant money for at least a few months until the situation becomes more certain.

Using a company that works on an average daily payment for each juvenile incarcerated may not be the best decision in the future, he said, if only because DFS plans to send fewer kids for the foreseeable future.

According to DFS records, Cornerstone is making about $20,000 less per month because of the department's policy to send fewer juveniles.

"If we're using detention the right way, the numbers aren't going to support the contract at a good level," he said. "I think it's a mistake to create a system where you need a quandry of kids for a private company to make money. It was a good investment to go to the kind of standards that Cornerstone has brought, but it's not going to be a money-making endeavor."

Numbers are down across the state, he added. The number of juveniles at the JDC from counties such as Converse and Niobrara in December 2007 starkly contrasts with the number in August 2008.

If the commission moves forward with building a new JDC, Lewis suggested that a regional facility with 15-30 beds would be adequate to house the number of inmates that can now be expected.

"Counties are relying more on short-term holds, but it doesn't negate the need for a regional detention center," he said. "Medium- and long-term is necessary."

Commission Chairman Rob Hendry expressed concern about building a new facility without knowing how many juveniles in the region would actually benefit from it.

"Our problem is the cost," he said, noting that the commission has already spent money upgrading the current facility with smoke detectors and new camera equipment. "If we're not gonna get kids, how much money do we spend?"

Commissioner Barb Peryam said she thought the idea of Natrona County citizens funding a regional center was "unfair," and some of the burden would have to be taken away from tax payers in the county.

Lewis agreed, and the commissioners and him decided including state legislators in the process of financing a new juvenile center would be necessary.

For now, the commission said, the issue is "on the fence" until it gets some definitive answers.

DFS and Cornerstone will meet again to further discuss the financial situation.

Contact Megan Lee at (307) 266-0616 or megan.lee@trib.com