juvenile reimbursement costs to the court

The court placed my son in a boys work camp facility. Now I'm being billed at an extremely high rate ($5000.00 a month)for the duration of his stay (9-12 months). They have refused to give me a break-down of the cost and a hearing was held without me being notified until after a decision was made to hold me liable for the cost. I would like to apply things like his school tax dollars and our mental health coverage to help with the payment of this bill. I also want to know the amount the state and county are paying for his stay. I can't get any answers from the court, and most people involved with the juvenile system for my county know as much or less than I about the operation of this boys camp and payment practices (which from talking to other parents of boys there, very greatly from family to family). My home state is MI.

Write to your state senator or assembyman and ask for help. Don't try to defend the kid, just plead you can't afford it.