Budget cuts may be needed that would reduce supervision of felons in Deschutes County. (123RF)

One of the ways Deschutes County may suffer in the new state budget is in parole and probation.

Deschutes County Parole and Probation supervises people with felony convictions and certain misdemeanors. It may have to reduce the supervision it provides and the assistance it can give people in the justice system.

The state makes a forecast of how many people might need parole and probation supervision. It assigns a rate per person for an individual who is going to be on supervision. Do some math and there is a total number for the state.

The problem is, of course, that the forecast can be off. And the rate assigned can be off.

Both may well be off for Deschutes County, Deevy Holcomb, community justice department director for Deschutes County, told the county’s Public Safety Coordinating Council on Tuesday.

Consider the rate. Holcomb said the funding per person is not near the actual cost of doing business for Deschutes County. The state rate is roughly $15. The county cost is $18. How does the county know that? It did a study looking at it in 2024.

The result may be that in Deschutes County, the level of supervision of people on parole and probation may have to be reduced. Staff may have to be cut. Help with housing and treatment can be vital to help people on parole and probation go on to live productive lives. Deschutes County may be able to do less of that.

The state budget is not set, yet. So nothing is final. And parole and probation is certainly not the only area in the state budget that may see a lean two years. We can’t say that we know it would be better for legislators to boost parole and probation funding, because that would inevitably mean another worthy program getting less would get less.