The next time Natrona County commissioners meet with their architect, they'll discuss designs for a juvenile detention center considerably smaller than the one they originally had in mind.

They aren't expecting the county to shrink. Instead, the new plans are tied to a statewide effort rethinking how Wyoming houses young offenders, officials say.

Rather than relying on large detention centers in Casper and Cheyenne, state leaders hope to create a network of smaller, regional facilities and dormitory-style operations that reduce the need to transport juveniles long distances. They also want to encourage more alternative programs that keep kids in their communities instead of locking them up.

"The idea behind it is easier access, given our great distance and weather conditions," said retired judge Gary Hartman, who advises Gov. Dave Freudenthal on juvenile justice issues.

County officials once intended to replace the exising juvenile detention center -- which is housed in a building deemed unift for adult prisoners -- with a 32- to 36-bed facility. Those plans changed after Freudenthal expressed serious concern with the scale of the project. After meeting with the governor last Monday, county commissioners agreed to a 24-bed design.

"I'm really comfortable with that for the moment because the governor has got a direction in mind as to how he wants juvenile justice to go," said Commissioner Barb Peryam, who participated in the meeting with Freudenthal. "The direction he would like the state to take is a series of smaller facilities that are put out around the state."

The plan envisions regional detention centers in Casper, Cheyenne, Gillette, Rock Springs and Lander, Hartman explained. Those facilities would be complimented by staff-secure beds -- akin to dorm rooms with supervision -- set up in Sheridan, Jackson, Basin and possibly Rawlins.

In theory, such a system would mean fewer instances where a young offender has to be driven a great distance to a detention center in Casper or Cheyenne.

Officials stress they don't want to do away with detention facilities. Some kids, because of their crimes and violent behavior, just need to be locked up, they say.

At the same time, studies show jailing low-risk offenders increases the likelihood they will drop out of school or get in further trouble, Hartman explained.

"Detention should be one of the last resorts in our system," he said.

Advocates for juvenile justice reform in Wyoming welcome the decision to scale back Natrona County's new juvenile detention center. Building fewer beds shows officials want to develop more alternatives to long-term detention, said Marc Homer, Kids Count director for the Wyoming Children's Action Alliance. Those alternatives could include group homes, drug court or ankle-bracelet monitoring.

"I think it is a commitment toward finding a range of solutions rather than one solution, which is not a solution at all," Homer said.

Homer, who is producing a documentary about juvenile justice in Wyoming, worries large facilities make judges more likely to lock up kids who would be best served staying in their communities.

"Obviously you need something for those worst offenders, but we shouldn't be holding kids for misdemeanors ... in detention," he said.

Still, a new way of dealing with juvenile offenders shouldn't be seen as a panacea, officials warn. Problems with young offenders usually begin before they reach the justice system.

"And until we get back to tightening up our family values and perhaps supporting some community-wide programs for strengthening the family, I think we are going to continue to have problems," Peryam explained.

"I'm probably not as optimistic as some may be in terms of eliminating the problem," she said. "I firmly believe there is a need for a locked juvenile facility and I don't believe that is ever going to go away."

Reach reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com. Visit tribtown.trib.com/JoshuaWolfson/blog to read his blog.