Youth who are adjudicated for violations of the law generally receive case management and probation supervision from the Juvenile and Family Court Services Department. This process includes holding youth accountable for their behavior in a manner that is designed to provide interventions and services to promote positive change in the attitudes and behaviors of youth on community supervision, protecting the community from criminal behavior, and restoring the victims of crime.
Risk & Needs Assessment
The risk and needs assessment is a crucial part of the case management process. This assessment assists the juvenile probation counselor (JPC) in determining the level of risk for the youth to commit further crimes, identifying target behaviors for intervention, and ultimately creating a case plan for the youth's probation period.
Case Management
After completing the risk and needs assessment, the JPC, with input from the youth and family, designs a case plan that addresses the specific behaviors of risk identified through the risk assessment process. The case plan will include using resources and evidence based theories or programs that will target specific service needs while also supporting areas identified as strengths.
Supervision
The JPC is also responsible for making sure youth are in compliance with the probation conditions set forth by the Judge. While integrated into the case management plan, there are certain court ordered conditions such as community service, fines, no contact orders, school attendance and so forth that the JPC is expected to monitor. Potential violations of community supervision are reported to the court and a hearing is scheduled to address concerns about compliance.