Detention Services

Court Departments

Director
Bruce Graham
937-496-7324
BGraham@mcjcohio.org

Administrative Assistant
Regina Black 937-496-7324
RBlack@mcjcohio.org

Detention Services’ mission is to provide a comprehensive program for Pre and Post dispositional youth in a safe and secure environment, while protecting the public safety. Youth housed within the facility range in ages from 10 to 20 years old. As a whole, Detention Services houses 5 distinct populations within its 144-bed facility capacity. We offer evidence based programming, full educational, mental health, medical, physical, and life-skills programming to all youth.

DETENTION (general population): Youth housed in Detention’s general population typically meet one, or more, of the following criteria:

  1. Are awaiting adjudication, or disposition, of a delinquency offense(s).
  2. Have delinquency offense(s) that have not been adjudicated, or disposed, and are awaiting release to approved parents/guardians or alternative resources in lieu of detainment.
  3. Have delinquency offense(s) that have been adjudicated, or disposed, and are awaiting transport/transfer to identified placement(s) or to approved parents/guardians.
  4. Are awaiting the legal process to determine if their case will remain in Juvenile Court or transferred to the Common Pleas Court (adult).

Montgomery County Juvenile Court is a site member of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) through the Annie E. Casey Foundation. To that end the Court is committed to utilizing policies and practices to ensure that only eligible youth remain detained in Detention’s general population. Considerations in determining continued detainment include, but are not limited to; the level of immediate threat posed to the community and themselves, likelihood of the youth returning for their next court hearing, history of awol/runaway, and appropriate and/or safe release options.

In 2022 Detention Services detained 809 Detention youth with an average length of stay of 11.3 days.

Detention/Certified (general population):

Ohio House Bill (HB) 337 was introduced into law in 2012. This bill made it mandatory for Ohio juvenile detention centers to house youth under the age of 21, whose case(s) had been transferred to adult court for prosecution, as long as the youth could be maintained behaviorally in the juvenile setting. Youth housed in Detention’s Certified general population have had their case(s) transferred to the adult system via:

  1. Mandatory Transfer: Probable cause was found to believe the youth committed the offense(s). Given the age of youth at the time of the offense(s), and other established statutory criteria, the case(s) were automatically transferred to adult court.

OR

  1. Discretionary Transfer: Probable cause was found to believe the youth committed the offense(s). An amenability hearing was held, and given established statutory criteria, the Judge has made a determination that the youth is not amenable to services offered by Juvenile Court; thereby transferring to the adult court.

In 2022 Detention Services housed 4 Certified youth with an average length of stay of 173 days.

JCARE-ART (Residential):

The JCARE-ART (Juvenile Cognitive Alternative Rehabilitative Effort-Aggression Replacement Training) Program is a comprehensive 16-bed treatment program in a structured, safe and supportive environment designed for OYAS (Ohio Youth Assessment System) identified moderate to high-risk male youth, 12 – 19 years of age; who would otherwise be committed to the Ohio Department of Youth Services (ODYS). The program utilizes a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) evidence-based model, which focuses on criminogenic risk factors through cognitive restructuring and skill development along with a curriculum of Aggression Replacement Therapy (ART).

ART is an additional evidence-based cognitive behavioral intervention program utilized to help the youth self-direct change. The overall program goal for the youth is to develop more adaptive life skills and to increase the likelihood that they use these skills in their personal lives, both within and outside the facility. Program length is generally 80-90 days, but may be extended based on a lack of successful navigation through programming.

Youth are generally placed in JCARE-ART as a Court placement handed down by a Judge or Magistrate following an adjudicated felony delinquency offense. The Court’s Formal Review Team offers placement recommendations to JCARE-ART in the majority of these cases.

In 2022 24 youth were housed in JCARE-ART with an average length of stay of 80.1 days. 

JCARE-STP (Residential):

JCARE-STP (Juvenile Cognitive Alternative Rehabilitative Effort-Specialized Treatment Program) is an 8-bed sex offender specific program. The program is designated for male adjudicated sex offenders ages 14-18 of all felony levels. These youth would otherwise be committed to the Ohio Department of Youth Services. Through a contract, Lighthouse Youth Services provides sex offender treatment, which utilizes the evidence-based modality of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and relapse prevention planning to allow youth to be involved in group sessions that address inappropriate sexual behaviors and offenses. This is the core modality of JCARE-STP. Program length is determined by a youth’s successful progression through treatment.

Youth are generally placed in JCARE-STP as a Court placement handed down by a Judge or Magistrate following an adjudicated felony delinquency offense and identified risk level via J-SOAP (Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol). The Court’s Formal Review Team offers placement recommendations to JCARE-STP in the majority of these cases.

In 2022 13 youth were housed in JCARE-STP with an average length of stay of 205 days.

Corrections (Short Term):

The Corrections program is an alternative disposition for adjudicated youth who have demonstrated the need for an immediate short-term commitment. The Corrections program consists of a 5 and 10-day tier. The program is designated for youth between the ages of 10-17 and consists of 24 beds for boys and 3 beds for girls. Corrections youth are housed with Detention’s general population and receive evidence based programming, full educational, mental health, medical, physical, and life-skills programming during their short term placement.

In 2022 49 youth were housed in Corrections with an average length of stay of 7.10 days.