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Time Set # 22.
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| Board of Supervisors |
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| Subject |
| Receive update on evaluation of current use of the Juvenile Detention Facility and receive Board direction on future use. (No general fund impact) (Fruchtenicht/Tranfaglia) |
| Recommended Action |
- Receive update on evaluation of current use of the Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF), including a summary of recent Community Listening Sessions; and
- Receive Board direction on future use of the JDF.
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| Strategic Plan Goal(s) |
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Thriving Residents |
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Safe Communities |
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County Mandated Service |
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| Reason for Recommended Action/Background |
Background
Yolo County operates a 3-pod detention facility, originally designed as a 90-bed juvenile hall. Due to the jail construction project, one of those pods is currently dedicated to housing adult offenders until October 2022. With the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, another pod is dedicated to quarantining detained youth when the need arises. The final pod is dedicated to juvenile detention – a population that has declined from an annual peak daily population of 40 in 2015 to around 8 in 2021. The average daily youth population has hovered below 5 this year.
For several years, Yolo County has grappled with the high cost of operating the Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF) given the declining youth population requiring detention. This challenge is not unique to Yolo County as it follows a statewide trend attributed to evolving juvenile justice philosophy and best practices over the last 20 years. Over this time period, the state has seen a 76.3% decline in detained youth. As a result, some counties have closed their juvenile halls and contracted for services with neighboring counties. Like Yolo County, some counties are also exploring alternative uses for their detention facilities and how best to direct potential savings from no longer having to maintain a 24/7 secure operation.
Update
In the last two years, the Probation Department has embarked on a gap analysis, needs assessment and exploration of options for potential future uses of the JDF and the adjacent gymnasium for justice-involved youth. This evaluation has included the following collaborative efforts:
- Yolo County Sequential Intercept Mapping of youth services
- Internal Probation Department Workgroup to identify and evaluate alternative uses
- Stakeholder and Public Input from:
- Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council
- Juvenile Justice Commission
- Youth Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (Y-GRIP)
- Board of Supervisor workshops and presentations
- Community Listening Sessions
The recent Community Listening Sessions included a review of historical state and local detention population trends, the cost of JDF operations, identified gaps in services and alternative facility use options explored to date (presentation attached as Attachment A). The following needs and service gaps, primarily related to justice-involved youth, were presented:
- Substance Use Outpatient/Residential Treatment options for youth
- Specialized urgent care for youth in crisis
- Placement and service options for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children
- Vocational/employment opportunities for youth
- Youth Center
- Youth mentors
- Community enrichment opportunities for youth
- Transportation for youth
The following facility use options that have been explored to varying degrees were also shared during the Community Listening Sessions:
- Short-Term Residential Treatment Program
- Wraparound Teen Resource and Respite Center
- Detention services for other Counties
- Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) Housing
- Youth Camp/Academy
- Youth Day Treatment Program
- Day Treatment for TAY
- Education/vocation collaborative with increased treatment services on site
- Homeless Shelter
- Residential Detoxification/Crisis Center
- Facility for countywide law enforcement training
- Continuation as a detention facility
- Youth job training/vocational center
- Space for mentoring programs
- Placement/home and service options for CSEC youth
The Community Listening Sessions then divided into smaller break-out discussions with each group being asked the following questions:
- If the Board of Supervisors decides to repurpose all or part of the Juvenile Detention Facility, what ideas for its use would you like to have considered?
- With the potential cost savings of repurposing the Juvenile Detention Facility, how would you like to see those funds re-invested in the community?
A summary of the community input received and Probation’s evaluation of certain options can be found in Attachment B.
Recommended Action
As the Board of Supervisors provides direction on the next steps, a few factors to consider include:
- While not dependent upon current or future youth detention, there is cost avoidance for the County from temporary secure placement of a portion of the Sheriff’s population until completion of jail construction, now scheduled for October 2022.
- The size of the youth population under the Probation Department’s jurisdiction is relatively small (57 youth as of 9/7/21). Their top criminogenic needs, per the Ohio Youth Assessment System, are:
- Peer and social support network
- Pro-social skills
- Education and employment
- While the funding utilized to construct the Juvenile Detention Facility and adjacent gymnasium limits alternative uses to governmental purposes, there is flexibility and opportunity to provide programs and services to youth and/or adults beyond the core mission of the Probation Department, and possibly the County.
- While gaps in services for justice-invovled youth could potentially be addressed with alternative use(s) of the JDF, they may be better addressed by supporting existing programs and providers in Yolo County communities.
- Given the potential to reuse the JDF/gym facilities to address needs beyond Probation’s core mission and even the County’s core mission, further evaluation would benefit from a multi-disciplinary workgroup.
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| Collaborations (including Board advisory groups and external partner agencies) |
| Health & Human Services Agency, Public Defender’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Department, local law enforcement, Yolo County Office of Education, Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, Juvenile Justice Commission, Youth Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (Y-GRIP), Yolo Conflict Resolution Center. |
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