Local juvenile courts taking new approaches with youth
A new initiative in Stark County juvenile court is placing even greater emphasis on finding alternatives to detention for troubled youth and those who commit crimes.
The trend began in the 1990s, according to judges with Stark County Family Court, which includes the juvenile division.
But family court has embraced a state program that has found detention isn’t always most effective method.
Stark County is now participating in the Ohio Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, a data-driven reform process designed to safely reduce the reliance on secure detention, promote efficient use of resources and support public safety.
The initiative was founded by the Maryland-based Annie E. Casey Foundation in 1992. Since then, JDAI has expanded its presence to 39 states.
Several other counties already participate in JDAI, including Cuyahoga, Franklin, Lucas, Montgomery, Summit, Mahoning, Marion, Trumbull, Ashtabula and Warren. Wayne County will become a JDAI site this year, according to the Ohio Department of Youth Services, which oversees the initiative at the state level.
By studying what has worked successfully in those counties and implementing the principles of JDAI, Stark County judges are striving to find more alternatives to detention while pointing out that detention and youth prison continue to be used in serious criminal cases and when public safety is at risk.
“This will not replace detention,” Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James said.
Stark County was approved as a JDAI site late last year. Family Court expects to receive between $50,000 to $70,000 in state funding for technical assistance. No staffing will be added, said Jacob Morgan, assistant family court administrator.
“We are already using some JDAI components,” said Diane Wilson, Stark County Family Court administrator. “This program will expand it.”
For more than a decade, family court has worked on addressing issues contributing to juvenile behavioral problems, including through substance abuse treatment and sexual offender treatment, according to court officials.
Another example is the use of juvenile drug court, James said. Instead of sending the youth to detention, defendants meet with a probation officer and take drug tests, among other measures.
About two years ago, family court judges developed a behavioral health services department in response to the mental health needs of youth, the judges say.
Regina Lurry, statewide administrator of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative for the Ohio DYS, described the approach as a process and framework, as opposed to a program.
Each participating county adopts JDAI’s eight core principles, which have proven that juvenile detention rates can be dramatically reduced without a corresponding increase in juvenile crime, according to the Ohio Department of Youth Services.
At the heart of JDAI is “heavily data-driven decision-making” to determine why kids are put in detention, Lurry said. In some cases, substance abuse treatment and mental health counseling are more helpful than detention.
Carol Abrams, senior communications associate for The Annie E. Casey Foundation, said in an email that JDAI was developed to “demonstrate that detention populations could be substantially and safely reduced” while achieving “a smarter, fairer and more effective juvenile system.”
Other alternatives to detention include electronic monitoring, house arrest, day or evening reporting centers and shelter beds for youth who cannot return home, Abrams said.
Another goal of JDAI is to reduce any ethnic and racial disparities in the juvenile court system nationwide. In an effort to promote equity and ensure positive outcomes for youth, Ohio has been selected by the Casey Foundation to receive intensive technical assistance and become a demonstration site for the reduction of racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system.
Guidance is offered to participating counties, Lurry said, but she added “it’s all up to the individual JDAI site to decide what is best going to work for their community — they’re the experts.”