Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initive (JDAI)
“A Better Way To Do Business”
By: Joseph A. Vraspir. M.Ed.
ADA County Juvenile Court Services,
Placement Coordinator

Nearly three years ago ADA County Juvenile Court received a grant from the Casey Foundation to implement new and innovative detention alternatives in our jurisdiction. This would prove to be a monumental undertaking, as the development of detention alternative programming in and of it self is not indicative of successful JDAI implementation. For JDAI to be effective and thrive, a systemic approach to implementation must be examined and applied. JDAI is not solely about detention alternatives; rather it is about an entire systems reform. It is about changing the manner in which business is carried out, agency wide. In short, without systems reform, JDAI would not be successful. Paramount to the success of JDAI is a belief by County officials, agency administration and line-staff. JDAI is an intricate melding of all of these at times, differing factions. At times it has proven difficult for some to look at different ways in which to operate, in that many felt and continue to feel the old way of doing business was the “right” and “only” way business could be done. There was a pervasive and at times cancerous feeling that to be comfortable was a good thing as there was not perhaps a better way to operate.

Implementation of JDAI has affected the entire agency. There have been many changes, including what is referred to as “grabbing the low hanging fruit.” Something as simple as scheduling Detention Reviews at the time of Detention Hearings has proven very effective. This has nearly eliminated requests for ten-day reviews, in that all are present and complete the necessary paperwork for the next hearing. This has ensured that action will take place with a case in a shortened period of time. This has also proven very beneficial in that hearings do not always have to be requested, motioned up, scheduled, families notified and signatures obtained prior to a hearing. An additional check and balance has been added to this system. An objective risk assessment (RAI) has been implemented to ensure juveniles entering the system are assessed according to their current risk to flee the jurisdiction and their risk to the community and themselves. This has afforded this agency the ability to remove subjectivity which at times kept juveniles in secure confinement. The implementation of ten-day reviews has been instrumental in assuring that juveniles do not remain in custody without attention to their case. The ten-day review has also brought to light the types of crimes that should and should not be in custody. The implementation of an expedited in-custody sentencing process has also decreased the time a juvenile languishes in custody with no disposition in sight.

Implementation of JDAI is educational and relationship driven. JDAI is not about keeping juveniles out of secure confinement, quite the contrary, it is about keeping the right juveniles in secure confinement and offering low-level offenders viable, productive and mutually beneficial alternatives to detention. Detention Staff initially having been skeptical now maintain that having a lower population has done several things. It has allowed for greater positive interaction with juveniles in custody, even though the lower population has more serious offenders. This has translated to fewer incidents in detention by lowering the staff to juvenile ratio. Further this has allowed for the implementation of innovative programming offered in detention. This correlates to increased moral as well. Imperative in the successful implementation of JDAI and systems reform is the development of relationships, what I believe to be the core of success. This has to be a compromising approach to achieving the ultimate goal. By this I mean the relationships developed by those directly involved in the implementation of JDAI with those indirectly involved with JDAI. This includes the relationships with Judges, Attorneys, Probation Staff and Detention Staff. This is not something that can be force fed to anyone. Bearing in mind that change is a slow incremental process there has to be give and take for the greater good. A working knowledge of all aspects of the entire system is fundamental to success. I believe that those at the JDAI helm so to speak, must have a fundamental understanding of the Court process, probation practice, ancillary services such as foster care and transitional care. There must also be a strong understanding of child development and developmental stages as children progress into adolescence

Statistically juvenile crime rates are declining, not only in this jurisdiction but nation wide as well. Furthermore, it is also well documented that long periods of secure confinement do not work, especially if the developmental level and way juveniles think are considered.

Two new programs were developed as alternatives to secure confinement; one is the Work in Lieu of Detention Program (WILD). This program offers juveniles who may have otherwise been in secure confinement an opportunity to give back to their community by providing services to community agencies, free of charge. This program has save many thousands of dollars for community agencies.

Another program, the Community Custody Center (CCC) was also designed as an alternative to secure confinement. This program addresses several problematic areas in the juvenile’s lives. Perhaps the most significant issue is education. The CCC has a licensed teacher in the facility, which allows juveniles to work on school credits or their GED at their own, pace

Both of these programs allow predominantly low-level offenders to participate. Each candidate is screened according to established protocol.

In closing, it is clear that there are more effective ways in which to operate if there is open-mindedness, cooperation and a commitment to find ways in which to do so. JDAI has become a philosophical mindset which has proven very effective in not only offering alternatives to secure confinement but ways in which to restructure an entire system for the better. JDAI has increased the creativity with respect to how cases are managed which has benefited all Staff and more significantly, the families and children we deal with on a daily basis.