State, county near juvenile justice pact

Maryland and Baltimore County lawmakers said they are nearing a cash-saving agreement that will keep juvenile delinquents at home in their own schools ? and serve as a model for future pacts with other jurisdictions.

The five-year agreement would provide community-based therapy for youth, and the two governments would divide the savings generated from avoiding placements in group homes or detention centers, officials said. Youth advocates said the strategy, called multi-systemic therapy intervention, is long overdue in Maryland.