HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01111994 - IO.1 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Contra
FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE L
s Costa
December 13, 1993 County
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DATE: T'q-couc+�
SUBJECT: REPORT FROM THE JUVENILE HALL REPLACEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
SPECIFIC REOUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. RECEIVE the attached Report from the Juvenile Hall Replacement
Advisory Committee, which we are recommending be renamed the
Juvenile Systems Planning Advisory Committee, including
hearing a brief presentation by the Committee to the full
Board of Supervisors .
2 . RENAME the Committee the Juvenile Systems Planning Advisory
Committee, to more accurately reflect the breadth of the
charge the Committee has been given.
3 . AUTHORIZE continuation of the . Juvenile ' Systems Planning
Advisory Committee for an additional two-year period, ending
December 31,, 1995.
4 . REQUEST the Juvenile Systems Planning Advisory Committee to
make further status reports to the Internal Operations
Committee at six month intervals, with the next report to be
made during the month of June, 1994 .
5 . EXPRESS the Board' s continuing appreciation to the members of
the Juvenile Systems Planning Advisory Committee for their
dedication, commitment, willingness to view all sides of
issues, and ability to seek a mutually acceptable compromise
when necessary.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD O E
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE S
ACTION OF BOARD ON January 11, 1994 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED x OTHER
Clyde Parkhurst introduced the members of the Advisory Committee and reviewed the Committee's
report. Chris Adams, Jacque Salvador, and Belle Lyssett, members of the Committee expressed
their views and urged the Board to approve their recommendations. Carol Hatch from Congressman
Miller's office spoke in favor of the recommendations. .
The Board expressed their deep appreciation to the Committee for their many hours of hard work.
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ATTESTED Januaryi11, 1994
Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
cc: See Page 2 SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
BY DEPUTY
o,
-2-
BACKGROUND:
The Board of Supervisors established a Committee over a year ago to
advise the Board of Supervisors on what the County should do about
replacing the juvenile hall, what size such a replacement should
be, what other resources would be required in order to adequately
meet the needs of the youth who come to the attention of the County
Probation Department and how the County might finance all of this .
The Committee, now renamed the Juvenile Systems Planning Advisory
Committee, has produced the attached Report which outlines the
Committee' s findings to date regarding the County's needs in terms
of various types of juvenile facilities and programs. Our
Committee met on December 13, 1993 with Clyde Parkhurst, Chris
Adams and Jacque Salvador, from the Juvenile Systems Planning
Advisory Committee, County Probation Officer Jerry Buck and staff
from the County Administrator' s Office, and reviewed the attached
Report in some detail .
Chris Adams reviewed the Report with us, noting the four findings
which are included on page one of the report. The report also
outlines certain recommendations on page five and the remaining
tasks the Committee would like to pursue, as outlined on page nine.
Ms. Salvador noted the importance of establishing a continuum of
care and the importance of prevention. She suggested that the
County needs to make more money available for prevention and
intervention in order to reduce or contain the ultimate costs of
confinement and treatment.
Mr. Buck noted that the Report is a good planning tool and
represents the various views and perspectives of the community. He
also noted that for the current fiscal year, AB 799 funded 1/3 of
the camp costs across the State, amounting to $33 million statewide
and $600,000 in Contra Costa County. This money is unlikely to be
available in the 1994-95 fiscal year, thereby putting additional
pressure on Probation Department's budget.
There was general agreement that locking up every minor who gets in
trouble will never solve the problem and that we need a much more
comprehensive continuum of alternatives available to suit the needs
of each situation. Ms. Salvador noted that there are no funds
dedicated to criminal diversion in the elementary schools . It is
increasingly obvious that such diversion has to start in the
elementary schools to avoid substantial delinquency problems in
junior high and high school populations . Mr. Parkhurst noted that
we need to maintain flexibility in the components of the system so
that we can meet the future needs.
Supervisor McPeak suggested that the Vision Statement (Attachment
# 2 to the Report) be brought to the attention of the two services
integration projects since it appears to be entirely consistent
with the directions those projects are taking. Following further
discussion with the members of the Committee, our Committee agreed
on the above recommendations. The Committee has asked to make a
brief presentation to the Board of Supervisors as a part of
presenting their Report and we have, therefore, scheduled this item
at 10: 30 A.M. on January 11, 1994 .
cc: County Administrator
County Probation Officer
Juvenile Systems Planning Advisory Committee (Via CAO)
George Roemer, CAO's Office
J
TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Juvenile 'Systems Planning Advisory Committee (JSPAC)
DATE: December 13, 1993 (Revised)
SUBJECT: Recommendations for a Continuum of Interventions for
the Juvenile Justice System.
I. SUMMARY
JSPAC has been meeting for over a year. This report summarizes the
committee's recommendations regarding current and future needs for
juvenile detention and regarding the juvenile justice system
generally in Contra Costa County.
The committee has several tasks remaining. The committee will work
with the prearchitectural programmers and the Probation Department
to develop recommendations regarding sites, size, and phasing of
detention facility construction/renovation. The committee will
also supplement the following recommendations with analyses of
costs and potential funding mechanisms for those recommendations.
The primary findings at this point are as follows.
1. Contra Costa County currently needs 180 secure or Flocked"
beds for juveniles. Although this is close to the total
physical capacity of the Hall, the operating budget allows
for up to 140 beds currently, growing to 160 beds in January
1994 .
2 . The County also currently needs 105 l'unlocked" beds,
compared to a current capacity of 80 beds.
3 . By the year 2005, the County could need as many as 266
locked beds and 151 unlocked beds.
4. The county should also implement a fuller range of
interventions for delinquent youth who are not in custody.
These additional programs are needed to provide additional
supervision of youth, both for public protection and to ensure
there are adequate and appropriate consequences for delinquent
acts. The additional programs should also provide constructive
or rehabilitative services for youth and their families.
1 g
II. OVERVIEW
This report details JSPAC recommendations to the Board of
Supervisors regarding the array of interventions and services
needed in the County's juvenile justice system. Recommendations
include both expanded alternatives to detention and a
reconfiguration of "institutional" beds (both secure and non-
secure) .
Table 1 summarizes the recommendations as they would affect the
current system. Projections of future growth are discussed in
Section IV, below.
These recommendations are based on the committee's study of youth
currently in the Hall, including a special "placement simulation"
study, and of the programs now available for delinquent youth in
the County. In addition, the recommendations reflect the philosophy
for juvenile justice advanced by authorities in the field,
including the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Officer
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Planning (OJJDP) .
The approach presented here in many cases reflects suggestions by
Orlando Martinez, Judge Frank Orlando, the Casey Foundation
planning team in Sacramento County, representatives of the Youth
Law Center and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and
other professionals who spoke to JSPAC about model programs in
other jurisdictions throughout the country.
Finally, the committee shares the growing public concern about
youth violence and public safety in the County. The committee met
several times with juvenile court and law enforcement officials in
the county; the recommendations here are responsive to the concerns
expressed by these officials.
The recommendations are intended to be consistent with the Vision
Statement adopted by JSPAC. (See Attachment 2 . ) The committee
sought to avoid reliance on secure detention in cases in which
alternative detention would be appropriate; to identify settings
to enhance services and treatment for youth and their families
(before, during and following custody) ; and, to enhance public
safety by providing increased supervision of many youth who are not
in custody.
The committee notes that in recent years, fiscal constraints have
led to a decline in resources for delinquents (and status
offenders) . This in turn has compromised remaining resources. The
Hall is forced to mix youth who should be separated, particularly
dangerous juveniles and juveniles with serious emotional or mental
health problems. The ranch program has also been compromised by an
influx of serious and hard-to-manage offenders, who would
previously have been placed in the Boys Center.
2
Table 1: Recap of Recommended Continuum for Current Population of
Juveniles under Supervision
Estimated
Continuum Component Number of Youth
A. INSTITUTIONAL--LOCKED
1. Secure Detention (Juvenile Hall) 120
Includes: Maximum Security (20) , general
housing, and special units for medical,
mental health, and substance abuse.
Current Juvenile Hall population = about 130
Current Hall capacity = about 140, increasing to
160 in January 1994
2 . Boys Treatment Center 20
Current beds = 0
3 . Girls Treatment Center 20
May be used as regional facility.
Current Beds = 0
-4 . Locked Mental Health Unit ("Ventura" Model) 20
Current beds = 0
...
a Lis sa . ;;;;;;;::CL�1 x h ;;:<. ::::::>::::::: 3 ec :::<:>:<:> a d :r:: :::>......:::18:pt
Current....totk--youth in fall: 130
Current total Hall capacity: 140 - 160.
B. INSTITUTIONAL--UNLOCKED
1. Transitions Facilities 25
Current beds = 0
2 . Family Reunification Shelter 10
Current beds = 6 (Sherman House)
3 . Ranch Program 70
Current capacity of Byron Boys Ranch = 74
Current
C. NON-INSTITUTIONAL
1. Community-based Programs NA (expand)
For prevention, early intervention, and aftercare
2 . Preadjudication Diversion NA (expand)
a. Community Service Work Program (informal) 25-30
Current average weekly caseload = 25-30
3 . Mentors 50
Begin as pilot project; expand as warranted
Currently there are various programs for mentoring
4. Probation Supervision (adjudicated youth) :
a. General (@ 1: 60) 600
b. More intensive (@ 1:25) 500
C. Specialized caseloads (@ 1:25) 200
Currently, there are approximately 600 youth
under active probation supervision and 800+
additional youth in probation status, without active
supervision. The recommendation here would roughly
double field probation staff.
3
d. Community Wk Svc Prog (Court Ordered) 25-30
Current average weekly caseload = 25-30. In all,
program supervises 500 youth annually. This will
expand by 300 when other youth assigned to do
community service, but now carried in other case-
loads, are transferred to the Community Work Service
Program caseload.
5. Home Supervision 60
Includes "trackers" and electronic monitoring
Current Home Detention caseload = 30-35
6. . Day Treatment 90
30 each in East, Central, West County
Currently no day treatment
7. Placement Diversion
a. Placement Diversion 60
Current caseload = 45
b. Family Preservation 20
Refers to Probation slots only; includes aftercare
Current caseload = 8
8. Temporary Foster Care 30
10 each in East, Central, West County
Currently none
9. Specialized Foster Care 15
Current resources often not available for Probation
referrals
10. Other Foster Home/Group Home 100
Current number = about 150
Certain items merit note here:
* The recommendation for total locked beds includes 60 new
treatment-oriented beds for adjudicated youth (in the Boys
Center, Girls Center, and the "Ventura model" locked mental
health treatment facility) . Based on the placement simulation
study, many youth now in the Hall would be removed to other
settings: home supervision (with trackers and/or electronic
monitoring) and non-secure detention (transition centers and
family reunification shelters) . These are preadjudicated youth
who currently remain in the Hall only because there is no fit
home to which they can be returned, or adjudicated youth
awaiting non-secure out of home placement.
* The total of 120 youth in other "secure detention" is an
approximation, as are the subcategories within that total.
The committee believes that the prearchitectural programmers
should be able to adjust these numbers as they work with JHRAC
to examine various possible housing configurations.
* The committee strongly recommends that some portion of
the locked and unlocked beds be located in East and West
County. The prearchitectural programmer should be asked to
4
work with JSPAC to identify and assess options or scenarios
for doing this. JSPAC should also work with the programmers
to determine whether the "Ventura model" mental health unit
should be located on the same site as other secure housing.
* The continuum in Table 1 excludes residential treatment
programs because assessment of the need for such resources
should include mental health and substance abuse caseloads.
However, the committee does regard such residential treatment
resources as an important component in the continuum.
III. RECOMMENDATIONS
A. SYSTEMWIDE
1. There is a direct relationship between the size of the Hall and
the scope of alternatives to detention. Thus, the committee
strongly recommends that the alternatives listed below be funded
before or along with construction of secure beds.
2. In both preadjudication and post-disposition elements of the
juvenile justice system, a fuller continuum of services and levels
of supervision should be developed. For preadjudication stages,
an objective risk assessment instrument should be developed to
guide decisions regarding whether to detain arrested youth. For
post-disposition stages, a case management system should be
developed to guide placement. Following sections describe the
elements of each of these recommendations. In total, Contra Costa
County should develop a range of options shown graphically in
Figure 1. Descriptions of the recommended elements of the
continuum are included in Attachment 1.
3 . Key components of the continuum that are now lacking include:
a. "trackers"
b. electronic monitoring
C. non-secure detention (transition centers)
d. intensive post-disposition supervision
e. mentors
f. day treatment
g. locked mental health treatment
h. boys and girls treatment centers
4. All elements of the continuum should provide equal access for
boys and girls. System resources, including institutional beds,
should be located in all regions of the County, to the degree
possible given fiscal and other criteria.
5. Community based programs for early intervention, prevention,
and diversion, and for post-disposition youth should be expanded.
5
Figure 1: Continuum of Services and Supervision
«««««««<Less Restrictive More Restrictive»»»»»»»
HOME BASED OUT-OF-HOME
' Community ' Mentors e Day Treat- PLACEMENT j NON-SECURE C
Services and ment $
TFinoster
porary DETENTIONCare " Transition
9 Specialized Centers
Foster Care 'Z Reunification
s Preadjudica- '�iversion
Placement 10 Group Homef Shelter
tion Diversion Foster Home " Ranch Pro-
Family gram
Preser-
vation
° Post-disposition Probation Supervision LOCKED BEDS, LOCAL
" Juvenile Hall
and 'S Bo s/Girls Centers
16 Locked Mental
s Home Detention/Preadjudication Sup. ealth ("Ventura
odel")
6
B. PREADJUDICATION
1. Juvenile Hall detention and release decisions regarding
preadjudication youth should be guided by an objective risk assessment
scale which is based on Section 309, WIC. The Probation Department
should design the scale in coordination with law enforcement and
juvenile court officials.
2. The purposes of predisposition detention are protect the community
and ensure youths' appearance in courts--not to levy punishment. Youth
should be detained only if there is evidence that they present a danger
-to self or the community, or a risk of failure to appear.
Provisionally, the subcommittee defines "danger to the community" as a
likelihood that the youth will inflict physical harm or, based on the
frequency or sophistication of his/her prior delinquent behavior, will
continue to commit serious felony property offenses.
If a youth does not meet these criteria for detention, the risk
assessment instrument should also assist in defining the appropriate
level of supervision or alternative to detention after release, ranging
from non-secure residential options through various levels of home
supervision. Figure 2 shows this schematically.
Figure 2: Preadjudication Options
[based on risk assessment scale]
DANGER TO RISK OF FAILURE TO APPEAR IS:
COMMUNITY IS: High Medium Low
High «««««««Secure detention»»»»»»»
Medium Secure Home detention/supervision,
detention including increased face to
face contact, "trackers, "
and/or electronic monitoring
or, if no fit home:
Temporary foster care (24
hour receiving) or shelter
Low <<<Reminder system (trackers) >>> Home
or, if no fit home:
««««««Foster care/shelter»»»»»»»
7
C. POST-DISPOSITION
1. A full continuum of sanctions and services should be available
for post-disposition youth. The continuum would include a
partnership of public and private agencies. Consistent with the
`Vision Statement, the guiding missions should be to respond to
youth and family needs and to protect the public. The subcommittee
believes that a significant increase in juvenile probation staffing
is needed to accomplish these missions.
2. The County should develop mechanisms for coordination of this
continuum. At the organizational level, the County should assess
mechanisms for cooperation among public and private agencies
serving youth. For individual youth, the County should explore
case management approaches in which supervising probation officers
are able to (a) procure programs and services appropriate for the
youth and family, and (b) adjust the level of supervision (or
rewards and sanctions) according to the youth's behavior. If
feasible, and within the leeway allowed by the court's disposition
order, the supervising probation officer, acting as a "case
manager," would be responsible for assigned cases throughout the
youth's probation period. Because this could entail significant
changes in the organization of Probation responsibilities,
attention should be given to developing standards and training
appropriate to the new duties.
IV. PROJECTIONS
County staff updated the projections from the 1990 Contra Costa
County Juvenile Corrections Master Plan, using the same
methodology. The update contains two projections, which are
summarized in Table 2 . The high projection is based on the period
1985 though June 1991, at which point the Hall population cap was
imposed; it thus reflects the detention policies in effect prior
to the cap. The lower projection is based on 1993 (post-cap)
detention levels and reflects more recent policies.
Table 2: Projections of Average Daily Populations (ADPs)
in the Juvenile Hall
Year High Projection Low Projection
1995 164 122
2000 211 137
2005 266 154
8
The low projection for 1995 is very close to the committee's
:recommendation for current Juvenile Hall size, but does not reflect
-the committee recommendations for additional locked treatment beds
and unlocked beds. If it is assumed that the need for these would
grow proportionately to the growth in Juvenile Hall beds, by the
year 2005 there would be a need for 80 locked treatment beds. The
total locked bed need would thus be over . 230--close to the high
Juvenile Hall projection.
It is therefore reasonable to instruct the prearchitectural
programmers to assume that the need for locked beds by the year
2005 will be as high as 266, the high projection. The programmers
would also be instructed to provide a plan for phased construction,
to add locked beds as needed up to that number.
In addition, if the need for unlocked beds also climbs
proportionately to locked beds, an additional 46 (or a total of
151) unlocked beds would be required by the year 2005.
V. REMAINING ISSUES AND TASKS FOR THE COMMITTEE
A. COSTS
Additional information will be collected regarding the costs and
potential funding of the recommended programs.
B. IMPLEMENTATION
The committee is compiling a list of implementation issues which
will need to be addressed at some future time. The committee
believes strongly that the entire continuum should be developed,
and that where possible implementation should begin as soon as
possible,.
C. PREARCHITECTURAL PROGRAMMING
This interim report sets the stage for the prearchitectural
programmers to begin work. The committee will work with the
programmers and Probation Department staff, to develop
recommendations about site location and size, facility
configurations, construction and/or renovation phases, and costs.
9
Attachment 1: Continuum of Services and Supervision
(The following programs are numbered to correspond to notations
in Figure 1. )
1. Community Services
Community based programs are rooted in local neighborhoods. The
term is a broad umbrella for a variety of specific programs and
services, including prevention, early intervention, placement or
custody aftercare, treatment and other services. The community
based programs are supported through private and/or public funds.
They serve youth involved in all stages of the juvenile justice.
Many of the following programs are operated as community based
programs.
2. Preadjudication Diversion
Formal processing is suspended pending successful completion of
diversion requirements, such as community service. Examples
include police diversion programs operating in several
jurisdictions, in which law enforcement diverts juveniles prior to
prosecution.
The Probation Department operates the juvenile Community Service
Work Program. Of the 1, 000 youth referred to this program per
year, about half are referred by probation officials for informal
diversion. (The other half are court referrals of adjudicated
youth. ) This program requires youth to work a specified number of
days--typically three to four weekends--on community service
project such as trail construction or-weed clearance. The program
is designed to teach responsibility, proper work habits, and
acceptance of authority and supervision.
3. Mentors
In mentoring programs, adults serve as positive role models for
youth, providing one-on-one tutoring, life skills assistance, etc.
There are several mentoring programs now operating in the county,
most using volunteers. Mentors can be volunteers or they sometimes
receive nominal pay. Mentors should be from appropriate cultural
backgrounds and vocations or occupations. Mentoring can be an
early intervention/prevention/diversion program, or it can provide
assistance to youth returned from custody or placement. Recent
mentoring proposals in this County have suggested that mentoring
begin while youth are still in custody and preparing for release.
Mentoring is most appropriate for younger children from single
parent households.
1
The mentor program recommended in Table 1 would be a pilot project
to work with youth leaving post-adjudication custody or out-of-home
placement. The program would use volunteers and/or hire community
people to mentor up to fifty youth at any given time during the
first year of operation, with subsequent years' scope dependent on
the initial year experience. While mentoring can be contracted
with private organizations, the County should coordinate the
program and establish basic standards of training, qualifications,
etc.
4. Probation Supervision--Post-disposition Youth
Probation caseloads should be designed to fit supervision and
service needs of post-disposition youth. Probation should include
intensive supervision and specialized caseloads (eg, substance
abuse cases, sex offenders or sexually abused youth) .
Currently, the 600 youth on the "active" probation caseloads are
contacted once per month by their probation officer. (Another 800+
cases are on inactive caseloads, having satisfactorily completed a
period of regular supervision. ) There are no resources currently
to provide more than this minimal supervision.
The recommendation in Table 1 would staff "intensive" and
"specialized" caseloads at 1: 25, to allow more frequent contact
with youth on the caseloads. (In other jurisdictions, "intensive"
supervision entails much smaller caseloads than this, with very
frequent contact. See the discussion of "placement diversion"
for comparable caseload sizes in this county. ) Even at the
1:25 staffing ratio, the recommendations in Table 1 would require
a significant increase in probation field staff. Assuming that 600
"general" cases would be in caseloads of 60 and that the 700 youth
on "intensive" or "specialized" caseloads would be supervised at
1:25, a total of 38 staff would be required.
The Community Service Work Program (described in #2, above) is an
additional probation supervision program. In addition to youth
specifically placed in the program by the courts, there are roughly
300 other youth, now on general probation caseloads, with some
community service requirements. Current plans are to reorganize
caseloads and place all youth with community service requirements
into the Community Service Work Program.
S. Home Supervision
Home supervision is defined in Section 840 WIC as "a program in
which persons who would otherwise be detained in the juvenile hall
are permitted to remain in their homes pending court disposition of
their cases, under the supervision of a deputy probation officer,
probation aide, or probation volunteer. " The subcommittee
2
recommends that this program be expanded from the present 30 - 35
youth to 60. The expansion is based in large part on the findings
in the placement simulation study that over 20 youth in the Hall on
the date of the study could be placed in home supervision,
particularly if heightened supervision were in place.
The committee recommends that in implementation of home
supervision, the County should consider various approaches. These
include the following.
(a) "Regular" home supervision uses caseloads of 1: 10 (as limited
in Section 841 WIC) with frequent contacts with the youth.
(b) "Trackers') are an additional home supervision resource. Key
differences from "regular" home supervision are that (i) rather
than being probation officers, trackers are community workers,
paraprofessionals from the youths' home areas, and (ii) trackers
work different (eg, evening). hours, with more frequent face to face
contacts with youth. This is consistent with Section 841 WIC which
directs that " [w]henever possible, a minor shall be assigned
to. . . (a supervisor] who resides in the same community as the
minor. "
(c) Electronic monitoring can be used for pre or post-disposition
cases. It should be employed as an additional supervision tool for
home detention cases, to provide constant or frequent checks to
make sure that the youth is at home when not in school or at other
approved activities. There are various forms of electronic or
video monitoring; the recommendation here is only to implement the
concept, not any particular technology.
6. Day Treatment
Day treatment means, most generally, that a youth is required to
report to some supervised activity for some constructive or
rehabilitative activity for some number of hours each week. The
number of hours can vary, although they are typically afterschool
or early evening; the location can also vary, from schools to
service centers/youth centers to particular program sites; sites
can be single program or multiservice sites; the supervised
activity can include education, vocational training, counseling, or
recreation.
Day treatment is typically used as an intermediate sanction for
post-disposition cases in which custody is not required but in
which heightened supervision and/or remedial intervention is
warranted. Thus, youth in this program would be those who need
particular services (such as vocational training) and/or youth who
may be difficult to control, perhaps because afterschool parental
supervision is limited and better control of afterschool and early
evening activities and associations is needed.
3
Day treatment can be required in conjunction with other programs
such as intensive supervision or mentoring. The committee
:recommends that there be three day treatment sites in the County,
one for each region. Initially, the programs should handle an
average daily population of 15 youth each; if successful and cost-
effective, the program could be. expanded later.
7. Placement Diversion
(a) Placement Diversion is an intensive supervision program
operated by probation as an alternative to out-of-home placement.
The program involves frequent contacts with the youth and work with
the youth and his/her family. Currently, there are three teams (of
one deputy probation officer and one group counselor) ; each team
serves 15 youth. The committee recommendation for expansion of
this program by one team (or 15 more youth) supports probation's
plan to expand the program. It should be noted that this program,
like other similar programs in other jurisdictions, results in
significant savings in placement expenditures.
(b) Family preservation is the current interagency program
offering intensive services to families to prevent out-of-home
placement. A therapist is assigned only two families at a time and
may work as intensively as necessary to help the family recover
from difficult circumstances. The duration with individual
families is currently limited to a time frame of four to six weeks.
The committee recommends that supplemental (aftercare or
"wraparound") services need to be available to ensure that the
short term intensive intervention has lasting results.
8. Temporary Foster Care
Temporary foster care could be termed 24 hour receiving foster
care. These are foster homes on standby for emergency, relatively
short term, placement of preadjudication youth who do not need to
stay in secure detention but who have no fit home to which to
return. The committee recommends that 10 such homes be available
in each region of the county for referral by probation or law
enforcement.
9. Specialized Foster Care
Specialized foster care is for youth with problems that require
that foster parents have specialized knowledge and training, such
as particular emotional problems or substance abuse problems.
While there are a number of such homes in the county, they are not
easily accessible for 602 referrals from probation.
4
10. Group Homes/Foster Homes
These are the traditional post-disposition out-of-home placements
for youth. The committee recommendations show a net reduction--
from about 150 to 100 slots--in the use of these programs, because
many current out-of-home placements could be handled either through
placement diversion and family preservation, or, for those youth
who run from placement and are difficult to handle, by commitment
to locked post-disposition treatment programs (boys and girls
centers, mental health treatment unit) .
11. Transition Centers
Transition centers are a new component for the County's juvenile
justice system. They would primarily house post-disposition youth
awaiting placement (or placement change) , in an unlocked setting.
They could house youth awaiting transfer to the ranch program,
although the subcommittee believes that with the other additions to
the post-disposition continuum, there will be fewer occasions in
which youth must wait before transfer to the. ranch. Both the
placement simulation study and earlier profiles of the Hall
population have noted the relatively large numbers of youth
awaiting non-secure placement.
The number of transition centers--one or more--should be discussed
by JHRAC with the prearchitectural programmers. Levels of
supervision and the intensity of intervention/treatment can vary.
The transition center facility(ies) would be more secure than
typical group homes in that exit is restricted (by staff and/or by
alarmed doors) , although the facility would not be locked.
Residents would attend school on site or at nearby location.
12. Family Reunification Shelters
These are longer term shelters for youth--pre or post-adjudication-
-who need preparatory or transition time before returning to their
families. The family reunification shelters could house either new
referrals or youth about to return home from other out-of-home
settings. The shelters would provide counseling with both the
minor and his/her family.
13. Ranch Program
The committee uses the term "ranch program" rather than "Byron Boys
Ranch" to underscore that the recommendation is to provide a
commitment program in an unlocked setting for youth who require
special programming and are not such serious offenders or
management problems that they must be sent to CYA or to a locked
treatment facility. The content of the program at the ranch
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should be reviewed. One proposal which should be considered is to
initiate a program for dual diagnosis (SED and substance abuse)
youth, linking mental health, substance abuse, and educational
services as well as aftercare services. Although the committee did
not reach consensus regarding whether the ranch program should be
coeducational, this is an issue that should also be examined
further.
14. Juvenile Hall (Secure Detention)
The juvenile hall should house preadjudication youth deemed (by a
risk assessment scale) to be a threat to the community or a high
risk of failure to appear at court. Other youth would be held in
the Hall temporarily, awaiting transfer to CYA or to another
jurisdiction.
The committee notes the need to have sufficient separate units in
the Hall to separate youth according to security classification and
special needs (such as short term medical, mental health, and
substance abuse treatment) . Final decisions about housing
configuration should be based on discussions with the
prearchitectural programmers.
15. Boys and Girls Treatment Centers
The committee recommends reinstatement of boys and girl's centers
for 30, 60, or 90 day commitments to a locked program facility.
The proposed facility for boys would be 20 beds (currently) ,
reflecting the size of the prior program. The girls center is also
shown in Table 1 as 20 beds, although the previous girls center did
not reach this number; the committee notes that a regional
approach, with contracts with neighboring counties, may be
feasible.
Both the boys and girls centers would be designed for adjudicated
youth who are not suitable or manageable in un-locked out-of-home
placement settings. Although it is not possible to estimate the
impact at this point, the subcommittee believes that opening the
boys and girls centers would draw minors now at the ranch or in
other out-of-home placements.
16. Locked Mental Health Unit
This unit is based on the County's recent grant proposal for a
"Ventura model" locked unit, to provide intensive treatment for 20
seriously emotionally disturbed, post-adjudication youth. The unit
would be staffed by mental health and probation. The program would
provide multidisciplinary assessment, individual and group and
family counseling, and family support services. The goal of the
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treatment would be to make it possible for these SED youth to
remain in less restricted settings in the community following their
release. Aftercare services would also be necessary.
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Attachment 2
VISION STATEMENT
Juvenile Justice System
The Contra Costa County Juvenile Justice System will protect all residents
of the County and support youth by providing a comprehensive continuum
of , integrated, quality preventative and rehabilitative services that are
community-based, youth centered, family focused, culturally competent and
are delivered in the least restrictive setting possible consistent with public
safety.
Glossary of Terms .
Integrated Services: All services provided to youth and families are
linked and coordinated to ensure access, eliminate barriers and service
duplication.
Community-Based Services: Deliver services in the communities where
the youth and their families reside. Services can be both public and/or
privately operated.
Youth Centered Services: Provides services in settings that emphasize a
respect for the individual and developmental needs of youth.
Family Focused Services: Services that respect, support and empower
families by recognizing that the family is the fundamental resource for the
care of children and youth.
Culturally Competent:' To. honor the diversity of a culture by
understanding and respecting its value systems, mores, customs, gender roles,
non-verbal communications and expectations in the mainstream culture.
Least Restrictive Setting: Given a range of options, placement in a secure
or non-secure environment is based solely on the risk of flight, or danger
to community or self.
Rehabilitative Services: Services that allow youth to change detrimental
behavior patterns.
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