Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joined members of the Ohio Juvenile Justice Working Group to announce the group’s recommendations for transformational change across Ohio’s state and local juvenile justice system, reiterating that one of government’s “top priorities is the protection of children.”

• The Department of Youth Services should engage in a “system transformation” with respect to the design and size of its correctional institutions by replacing its current three large facilities with numerous smaller facilities. Studies show that smaller juvenile corrections facilities are safer for both youth and staff. With funding support from the Ohio General Assembly in the current capital budget, DYS will close  its 180-bed Cuyahoga Hills facility in Cuyahoga County and replace it with four 36-bed buildings with specialized housing units. DYS intends to work with the legislature to secure additional funding to carry out the same process with its other two campuses. 
  
• In addition to the 11 existing CCFs in Ohio, DYS should establish CCFs in the three counties that commit the highest number of youths to DYS, specifically Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton counties. Commitment to a CCF is preferable to state custody because youth are closer to home and better connected with family, which generally leads to better outcomes upon release. With funding support from the Ohio General Assembly in the current capital budget, DYS will establish one new CCF in one of the top three counties that commit the most youths to DYS.  DYS intends to work with the legislature to secure additional funding to place CCFs in the other two top counties in the future. 
  
• The state should hire outside consultants to review operations in the three DYS facilities and a sampling of local juvenile detention centers and community correctional facilities. DYS is securing consultants with specialized juvenile justice expertise to examine operational issues surrounding use of force, separation, youth discipline and behavior management, behavioral health services, staffing and retention, and training.
  
• Relevant state agencies should develop a coordinated master plan to enhance efficiency and enable better outcomes for youth. Governor DeWine has convened a group of state agencies to develop a cross-agency approach to support juveniles, particularly in terms of youth violence reduction. Led by the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, agency partners will provide coordinated, targeted support focused on proactively diverting juveniles from criminal behavior.

Other recommendations from the working group encourage the Ohio General Assembly to enact changes to Ohio law that would better ensure accountability for youth who assault correctional staff; increase the minimum age of youth commitments; give judges more discretion in sentencing youth adjudicated on certain crimes; and prohibit youth adjudicated on non-violent, low-level felonies from being remanded to a DYS facility.

Governor DeWine also directed DYS to undertake many of the other recommendations listed in the report, including but not limited to:

• developing best practices to prevent gang activity and bullying
• creating a staff position to focus on gang behaviors and activities
• expanding reentry support for youth upon release from custody
• engaging local behavioral health providers to augment DYS’s behavioral health services
• developing a credible messenger program 
• creating a parent-guardian liaison position and a DYS parent advisory board
• expanding programming that supports staff wellness

“My primary role is to ensure my staff and youth work and live in an environment that supports opportunities for habilitation and growth,” said DYS Director Amy Ast.

“The recommendations will serve as a bridge to chart our course for continuous improvement across the juvenile justice system. Ultimately, we will realize improved outcomes.”

Summaries outlining all 26 of the Juvenile Justice Working Group’s recommendations can be found by reading the full report at governor.ohio.gov. 

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