George County supervisors have asked a judge and others to explore options for dealing with the soaring costs of dealing with juvenile offenders.

Youth Court Judge Darryl Hurt Jr. and youth services counselor Hope Cochran have agreed to examine alternatives to sending juveniles to a Forrest County detention center. Hurt said that Sheriff Garry Welford would be asked to join the work.

Their report is due to the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 1.

Forrest County has proposed a three-year contract with George County that doubles the daily rate from $60 to $120 for holding juveniles.

In 2007, Welford says the county used 378 bed days in Forrest County.

Hurt says house arrest using monitoring devices is one possibility. The cost is $85 a week.