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juvenile crime prevention & response in lane county |
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"In 1995, the citizens of Lane County sent a powerful message: 'Lane County is a unique place, a place that cares about its youth in trouble.'If I can help one
human being save his life from drug addiction, if I can save two or three of
these children, I'd feel awfully good."
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John Serbu Youth CampusThe John Serbu Youth Campus refers to the entire complex of four buildings and grounds that serve troubled youth on the Centennial Boulevard site. The youth campus was named for Dr. John Serbu, M.D., an esteemed neurosurgeon in Eugene from 1964 - 1995. In 1998, when he learned he had cancer, Dr. Serbu vowed to leave a legacy of sparing people the heart-wrenching tragedy he went through in the untimely, drug-related death of his son Cameron, also a neurosurgeon. In his son's memory, Dr. Serbu made an extremely generous contribution to be used for early intervention and treatment for young substance abusers. Dr. Serbu died Dec. 17, 1999. He was 66. |
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Buildings on the John Serbu Youth CampusThe buildings located on the 37-acre site include:
Dr. Serbu started the John Serbu Youth Campus Fund through the Oregon Community Foundation with his $3 million endowment. That endowment has now been added to by over 30 additional donors. Others wishing to donate may contact the department director. The endowment principal will remain intact and the interest earned will be used to fund program operations in the treatment of teenage substance abuse. |
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Overview of the Juvenile Justice System in Lane CountyThe purpose of this overview is to describe the juvenile justice system in Lane County. It provides a description of treatment philosophy and intervention options. DelinquencyThe purpose of the juvenile justice system in delinquency cases is to: ...protect the public and reduce juvenile delinquency and to provide fair and impartial procedures for the initial, adjudication and disposition of allegations of delinquent conduct. The system is founded on the principles of personal responsibility, accountability and reformation within the context of public safety and restitution to the victims and to the community... The Department of Youth Services (Youth Services) provides juvenile justice services for Lane County. Youth Services' mission and values include: Mission:
Values:
Balanced Approach Model:Click here for more information on prevention models Youth Services' philosophy and programs have evolved to meet the changing needs of delinquent youth. In 1989 Youth Services' staff implemented the Balanced Approach, a research-based method to case management. The approach is represented by a triangle because equal attention is given to each component: Community Safety (Public Safety)The public has a right to a safe and secure setting. To address public safety, Youth Services provides:
AccountabilityWhenever an offense occurs, the juvenile offender has an obligation to the community. Youth Services provides:
CompetencyJuvenile offenders who come within the jurisdiction of the court should leave the system more capable of living productively and responsibly in the community. Competency programs include:
Youth Services' staff provide innovative prevention and intervention services which are based on the Balanced Approach. A variety of corrections and treatment services are provided through five main areas of the department including:
Overview of Youth ServicesINTAKEThe intake unit has two primary functions:
Intake staff takes custody of youth from police officers and decides whether to release youth to their families or detain youth in the Juvenile Detention Center facility.
If youth are not already on probation, intake staff decides on the most appropriate actions for each youth referred to Youth Services. These actions include:
Refer the Matter to the Family to Handle - This action is usually utilized for youth charged with minor crimes which are closed at intake. It allows the families to deal with the delinquent activity. Research indicates that 80 percent of these youth do not commit additional crimes. Diversion ProgramsThere are several diversion programs throughout Lane County. The goal of these programs is to reduce the likelihood that first and second time offenders will go on to commit additional crimes. Diversion programs include:
Delinquency Diversion
Misdemeanor Diversion - Youth enter a short-term agreement that they must complete before their case is closed.
Formal Accountability Agreements - Intake staff conduct risk assessments and intake interviews with the youth and their family that are not appropriate for diversion programs, or commit more severe types of crimes. At the interview, the intake counselor will decide if a case can be managed without court intervention by placing youth on a formal accountability agreement. The contract outlines conditions which the youth must meet or s/he will be sent to court. The intake counselor monitors formal accountability cases through closure. The conditions of a formal accountability contract comply with the Balanced Approach of community safety, accountability, and competency development. Juvenile Court - Intake staff take juvenile offenders to court when court interventions are necessary and if youth are not already on probation. If a youth is taken to court and placed under the court's jurisdiction, the case is transferred to a Supervision Unit probation counselor. Measure 11 - Intake counselors also act as the liaison with the District Attorney's office on Measure 11 cases. The DA's office is notified of all youth charged with a Measure 11 offense, gathers information about that youth, and participates in the staffing decision about how that youth will be managed. JUVENILE DETENTION CENTERThe Juvenile Detention Center provides community protection and engages in a continuous search for innovative means of providing effective short term institutional care. This entails providing a secure physical setting and preventing youth from escaping. The Juvenile Detention Center provides appropriate, timely and effective youth care intervention strategies specifically designed to:
Maintaining a Safe Environment - This involves preventing physical violence, intimidation, extortion or threats toward staff, youth, parents or any others. Teaching Competency Skills - Detention provides competency groups to detained youth as part of its overall fulfillment of Youth Services' mission. Group classes are a major component of the approach to dealing with adolescents in the detention setting. These daily groups emphasize a variety of social, educational and living skills designed to help youth maintain crime free lives. Emphasis is on aggression replacement training, peer refusal skills, empathy skills, and developing positive relationships and pro-social skills. Education - The Juvenile Detention Center provides an education component, which ensures that no child is deprived of an appropriate educational opportunity due solely to his/her detention status. The school program at the Juvenile Detention Center is an autonomous program funded and supervised by Lane Education Services District (Lane ESD). The program operates twelve months per year with normal federal holidays and Christmas and Spring breaks. The program is subject to the rules, policies, procedures and labor contract of Lane ESD. The staff consists of two certified F.T.E. teachers and one .5 F.T.E. teaching assistant. The primary goal of the Juvenile Detention Center School Program is to maintain and improve the basic academic skills of students while they are detained in the facility. It is the intent of the Juvenile Detention Center School staff to work cooperatively with the detention staff to ensure that these goals are met. Other detention programs include:
Medical Services - Lane County Detention Services offers medical services for all detained youth via a full time Physician's Assistant and adolescent physician under contract with Lane County. All youth are given a physical exam upon entering detention. Specialized medical services include alcohol and drug detoxification, identifying and intervening with depressed and suicidal youth, and psychiatric liaison with Lane County mental health. All detention staff are trained in CPR/First Aid/Blood Born Pathogens. SUPERVISION - PROBATIONProbation counselors provide supervision for youth adjudicated (placed on probation) for person-to-person and property crimes, as well as youth placed on formal accountability agreements. Staff develop a case plan based on the Balanced Approach - community protection, accountability, and competency development are primary goals set forth in all probation case plans that are presented to the court for review. Counselors screen police reports, file arrest warrants, initiate filing of petitions, prepare a variety of written reports, and conduct court hearings on active probationers. Probation counselors refer and access treatment needs for youth on probation. Special probation programs are available for each youth that have special needs or are unable to respond to traditional case plan goals. The following programs are examples of those services. Service Coordination - Service Coordinators are assigned to all clients that have alcohol and/or substance abuse issues. The Service Coordinator completes a portion of an assessment on all youth that are determined by the intake risk assessment as possibly needing an intervention regarding their substance abuse. After completing the assessment the youth are referred to a treatment provider in the community. The Service Coordinator works with the youth, family, service provider, and the counselor to support and encourage follow through with the treatment program. Violent Offender Rehabilitation Treatment (V.O.R.T) - This program targets violent juvenile offenders who pose a significant risk to the community due to personal injury crimes against a member of the community. Community protection and reduction levels of new crimes are primary program goals. Intense supervision and family counseling are primary program treatment methods. High Intensity Treatment Program (H.I.T.) - This program targets high-risk offenders who need higher levels of supervision. This program works with youth and their families. The program has four components: therapy, recreation, education, and community service. Clients in this program are younger than 15 years old. Restoration - This is a community service and restitution program. The court orders youth to give something back to the community or restore individual losses as a result of their crimes. Community Service - Juvenile offenders are referred to the community service program in order to hold them personally accountable for their crimes, to learn new work skills for future employment, and to earn restitution to repay the victims of their crimes. The community service program is a self-sustaining program that creates work contracts within the community to provide work experience for juvenile offenders. Current contracts include the Oregon Department of Transportation Litter Crew as well as contracts with the cities of Eugene and Springfield, University of Oregon, and Lane County Parks Department. The community service program received over 400 referrals for 1999-2000 and paid close to $20,000 in restitution. RESOURCE UNITThe Resource Unit works with high-risk juvenile offenders. The unit includes: Sex Offender Treatment Team - There were 101 juvenile sex offenses in Lane County in 1999. The Sex Offender team provides assessment, treatment and correctional interventions for juvenile sex offenders. Sex offender treatment staff conduct the Primary Class for juvenile sex offenders and their families. The program's goal is to help youth and parents better understand the problem and to help prepare them to enter sexual offender specific treatment. Competency ClassesStaff at Youth Services provide competency classes. The purpose of these classes is to assist the juvenile offender with skill development. To follow is a brief description of these classes.
Youth Services also offers programs for adults in the community including:
Oregon Youth Authority (OYA)OYA is charged with the supervision and management of juvenile offenders who are placed outside of their home. Placement includes treatment foster care, residential care (group home), and juvenile correctional facilities (now known as MacLaren, Hillcrest and Oak Creek). Placement occurs after an offender has been found guilty of a crime and placed in the custody of OYA by the Juvenile Court. Youth Services and OYA have been working in a cooperative fashion to meet their shared missions of community protection. OYA staff are located at Youth Services and have become an integral part of the planning and supervision of offenders in Lane County. OYA has thirteen staff at Youth Services - eight are probation/parole staff, one is a youth accountability camp staff, one is a regional federal revenue specialist, and there are three office specialists. OYA placements are located throughout the state and probation officers strive to place offenders in programs most likely to assist the offender in learning skills to lessen the chance of re-offense. Once placed, offenders are monitored by OYA probation officers while in placement and after returning to the community. What works best for OYA parole and probation officers is their ability to work with some of the most dangerous offenders in the county. The probation officer provides services that successfully re-integrate offenders back to the community while maintaining community safety. Four staff specialize in working with offenders placed in juvenile correctional facilities. They monitor progress in program, as well as arrange and supervise transition to the community. One staff specializes in gang intervention and one staff works exclusively with youth in the boot camp program. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESThis department component includes the director, the assistant director, an executive assistant, the financial clerk, an office assistant, research and development, and the volunteer manager. In addition, there are two grant funded substance abuse programs managed through this unit (Youth Intervention Network and Juvenile Breaking the Cycle). Youth Intervention Network - The Youth Intervention Network (YIN) is an effort by the Department of Youth Services, Addiction and Counseling Educational Services, Inc., Center for Family Development, Looking Glass Adolescent and Recovery Program, Pathways Program and Willamette Family Treatment Services to provide integrated services for juvenile offenders with alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems. There is a strong relationship between substance use and juvenile crime. In order to reduce juvenile crime, the YIN project endeavors to change how Youth Services, AOD treatment providers, and other community programs intervene to get more youth into, and successfully through, treatment. YIN is funded through a federal grant. It is one of three Juvenile Network efforts across the United States. Youth arrested and referred to Youth Services are screened at intake within a few days of arrest to determine if there are AOD problems. If there are problems, the youth are assessed to determine if AOD treatment is necessary. If it is, an immediate referral is made to an AOD treatment provider. The assessment further identifies other services needed by the youth and family to support successful completion of AOD treatment and the improved likelihood of the youth remaining clean and sober following treatment. Youth Services and the YIN are working toward changing the way the system does business in order to fully integrate the YIN approach into the department and community partner programs. The project's federal funding terminates October 1, 2000. Juvenile Breaking the Cycle (JBTC) - Youth Services was selected as the first juvenile justice system in the nation to receive a JBTC grant funded initiative. JBTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Building on the components of YIN, Youth Services has finished one year of planning for the JBTC project and has begun with its implementation. JBTC tests the idea that early identification of drug users, intensive treatment and supervision, and strong judicial oversight can reduce drug use and crime. It takes lessons from other successful drug intervention efforts such as drug courts, criminal justice "networks" (such as YIN), and intensive treatment programs and molds these components into a system change. JBTC "elements" include: 1) drug testing of all offenders as soon as possible after arrest; 2) assessment-based treatment recommendations for drug users; 3) individualized treatment and supervision plans; 4) active monitoring of compliance to drug-related conditions imposed by courts; and 5) judicial imposition of appropriate, and graduated sanctions as well as incentives to control offender behavior. Research and Resource Development - This function in the administration unit conducts program evaluations, reports on juvenile crime trends, identifies "best practices" for juvenile crime reductions, and writes grants for Youth Services. This year's annual report includes a section on research-based programs and strategies shown to effectively prevent and reduce juvenile crime. Research indicates that effective delinquency reduction programs: 1) target youth most likely to become delinquent or chronic offenders, 2) provide a balance of corrections interventions and treatment services which reduce risk factors, and 3) evaluate to measure program efficacy. The research section also includes an overview of cost effective programs. Volunteer Program - The Volunteer Program at the Department of Youth Services has four goals:
Volunteers work in many roles at Youth Services. They engage in a variety of activities in intake, detention, supervision, resource, and the administrative units. To follow are examples of the extensive assistance volunteers provide staff and youth.
In all of these instances, youth are better served either by the volunteer directly or by freeing staff time from routine work to interact with our clients.
DEPENDENCYThe juvenile court also has jurisdiction over dependency cases (children who are victims of abuse, neglect, or abandonment). These cases are managed by Services to Children and Families. Services to Children and Families - The 1995 Legislature created the State office of Services to Children and Families (SCF). Prior to this time, Children's Services Division (CSD) had jurisdiction of dependency cases. SCF's purposes are to prevent further abuse, safeguard and enhance the welfare of abused children, and preserve the family when consistent with the protection of the child by stabilizing the family and improving parent capacity. CASA Program - Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA's) are trained citizen volunteers appointed by a judge to advocate for abused and neglected children in court. The CASA independently investigates a case and submits a formal report to the court recommending what actions will best serve the child's interests to a safe and permanent home. The 1987 Legislative Assembly first passed a law defining the role of Court Appoint Special Advocates that call for the appointment of a CASA in all dependency cases before Oregon's juvenile courts. During the 1993 Legislature, CASA was transferred to the new State Commission on Children and Families. Footnotes
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