HIGHLAND HILLS – The Northeast Ohio Juvenile Detention Professional Development Project along with the Global Issues Resource Center at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) developed a pilot training curriculum to confront the challenges of the ever-changing juvenile detention population.
The comprehensive training program is geared towards entry-level staff and incorporates evidence-based curriculum and practices from Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, Ohio Department of Youth Services, and National Juvenile Detention Association. The purpose of the curriculum is to help entry-level officers develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities to deal with the demands created by the juvenile detention population.
“This is the first time, in Ohio, that a comprehensive curriculum has been established for entry-level staff that goes beyond the minimum standards,” said Jennifer Batton, Director of Global Issues Resource Center. “This curriculum addresses the identified risk factors.”
According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), juvenile detention facilities primarily house youth who have committed violent or sexually-oriented crimes, suffer from mental illness, are repeat offenders or have a history of substance abuse. As courts do a better job of diverting low level youth offenders, the youth that make it into the system are much more troubled and present more complex issues. OJJDP reports that the challenges associated with the supervision, rehabilitation and treatment of juvenile offenders have escalated over the last two decades.
“It’s definitely needed,” said Kristopher Steele, Family Law Education Manager, Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College. “The training will help officers be consistent in the way they handle youth.” He said the curriculum was created by people with juvenile detention center experience, who will be the most aware of the needs of the officers in the facilities.
Batton of the Global Issues Resource Center believes that if implemented, the curriculum will be beneficial to the youth and staff in juvenile detention centers. “By investing in Ohio’s juvenile correction officers, agencies can reduce staff turnover, increase employee morale and improve the relationships between staff members and incarcerated youth,” she said. “It is the committee’s hope that the pilot curriculum will lead to the implementation of a formal certification process for staff and agencies using the training curriculum.”
The agencies involved with the development of curriculum, include: Mahoning County Juvenile Court, Medina County Juvenile Court, Lake County Juvenile Court, Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College, Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management, Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College Juvenile Detention Center Education Committee, Medina County Juvenile Detention Center, Warren County Juvenile Detention Center, Wood County Juvenile Detention Center, Ohio Juvenile Detention Director’s Association and Ohio Department of Youth Services.
For more information about Northeast Ohio Juvenile Detention Center Professional Development Project, contact the Global Issues Resource Center at (216) 987-2224 or email Shawn.McElroy@tri-c.edu.