COURTS - JUVENILE;

You asked for information on evening reporting centers in Chicago and a youth reception center in Portland, Oregon.

SUMMARY

Cook County operates seven evening reporting centers, each of which serves up to 25 youth ordered to them by the court for failing to appear on an arrest warrant or violating probation. The orders can require participation from between five and 21 days; most orders are for 21 days. The centers operate from 4 pm to 9 pm, Monday through Friday. Each has five staff, four of whom work directly with the youths in educational and recreational activities. The programs also provide transportation to and from the centers and meals. The Cook County Circuit Court reports that the centers operate at about 80% of capacity, and 95% of participating youth attain one of the program’s goals, which is not to be rearrested during their participation.

Portland’s New Avenues for Youth Reception Center is a police-centered detention alternative whose goal is to divert youth who pose no threat away from the juvenile justice system. The center serves status offenders and homeless and runaway youths 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The center provides referral to case management, education, shelter beds, medical services, food, and clothing. It employs 12 social workers, two of whom are always on duty. Its annual budget is about $ 400,000. Multnomah County (where Portland is located) contributes $ 350,000.

Both of these alternatives to secure juvenile detention centers were created as a result of these cities participation in a juvenile detention alternatives initiative sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Each (and three other sites) received $ 2. 25 million over three years to bring together all those involved in their juvenile justice systems (police, courts, child welfare agencies, community groups) to look at the entire system from intake through disposition. Among the issues, they reviewed were admissions criteria for secure detention, screening and risk assessment, case processing, and detention alternatives. The initiative is describe in attachment one, “Juvenile Jailhouse Rocked. ”

CHICAGO EVENING REPORTING CENTERS

Since it began in 1995, Cook County has created seven evening reporting centers, six in Chicago and one, strictly for girls, in a suburb. Each supervises up to 25 youth, five days a week, from 4 pm to 9 pm. The deputy chief probation officer of the Juvenile Probation and Court Services Department’s Detention Alternatives Division administers the program. The centers are run by a community-based nonprofit collaborative as part of a larger contract for pretrial services.

The program’s goals are to (1) provide highly structured and well-supervised group activities during periods of high risk for minors identified in pending delinquency proceedings, (2) ensure they appear in court, and (3) reduce the likelihood that they will be rearrested. It targets minors (1) who failed to appear in court on arrest warrants and (2) awaiting hearing or disposition for violating probation. A probation officer identifies those who are suitable for conditional release. The court can order them to report to a center for between five and 21 days in conjunction with an order of home confinement for up to 21 days. Most participate for the full 21 days.

Program staff transports participants to the centers. The centers provide education and recreational activities, life development workshops, and meals. The centers maintain a five youth to one staff ratio, one of the staff being a director who is not considered direct service staff. The four direct service staff—one education and one recreation specialist and two group workers—all have bachelor’s degrees or comparable experience. Three work part-time, one is full-time. Either the education or recreation specialist acts as liaison to the court.

Probation and home confinement officers augment the center staff. They work with the youth, family, and school to make sure court dates are kept and probation conditions are honored.

The centers can serve a maximum of 175 youth a day. Evaluative results from 1995 to 1999 indicate they operated at about 80% of capacity (140 a day) and that 95% of the 4,500 youths ordered to them during that period remained arrest free while they participated.

PORTLAND YOUTH RECEPTION CENTER

The New Avenues for Youth Reception Center is a police-centered, rather than a court-centered detention alternative. Its goal is to divert youth who pose no threat away from the juvenile justice system and toward community resources. The center serves status offenders and homeless and runaway youths 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It primarily serves youths charged with shoplifting, truancy, trespassing, and minor substance abuse offenses.

Typically, a police officer brings the youth to the center when he cannot locate the youth’s parents. The police do not take documented gang members, violent or heavily intoxicated youths, or a youth charged with a person-to-person or a crime involving firearms. The police are the center’s primary referral source. Once there, a counselor interviews the youth to determine if he is cooperative; if so the counselor begins an intake process and screening. Noncooperative youth are asked to leave, or the police officer can take him to the police station.

The center provides referral to case management, education, shelter beds, medical services, food, and clothing. It employs 12 social workers, two of whom are always on duty.

The center’s annual budget is about $ 400,000. Multnomah County (where Portland is located) contributes $ 350,000. The Portland Police Department pays rent and telephone costs.

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