Mjd Report 05.Pub

CUYAHOGA COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS JUVENILE COURT DIVISION 2005 annual report To Administer Justice, Rehabilitate Juveniles, Support and Strengthen Families and Promote Public Safety -Mission Statement JUDGES: Honorable Joseph F. Russo, Administrative Judge Honorable Peter M. Sikora Honorable Patrick F. Corrigan Honorable John W. Gallagher Honorable Alison L. Floyd Honorable Kristin W. Sweeney 1 Note: Cover Photo of Painting entitled “Tomorrow,” by John Csosz. This painting was commissioned to be placed in the new Juvenile Court courtroom in 1932, where it still remains. It is an allegorical depiction of court services, “directing children to better things.” It was adopted as the logo of The National Association of Juvenile Court Judges in 1937. 2 Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Court Division 2005 Annual Report Table of Contents OPEN LETTER………………………………………………………………… . 4 OUR JUVENILE COURT JUDGES……………………………………………….7 COURT SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS………………………………………………..8 • M o d e l C o u r t ………………………………………………………………… . 8 • D r u g C o u r t E x p a n s i o n ……………………………………………………… . 8 • Education Initiative…………………………………………………………… . 9 • D i a g n o s t i c C l i n i c ……………………………………………………………… . 1 0 FISCAL………………………………………………………………………… . 1 1 PROBATION SERVICES………………………………………………………….12 • Probation Investigation and Supervision………………………………………...12 • G r a d u a t e d S a n ct i o n s ………………………………………………………… . 1 2 • Community Services………………………………………………………… 1 3 • S c h o o l B a s e d P r o b a t i o n ……………………………………………………… 1 4 • D a y R e p o r t i n g ……………………………………………………………… 1 5 • Parent Project……………………………………………………………… . 1 5 • Multi-Systemic Therapy Program……………………………………………..16 • Fe m a l e O f f e n d e r P r o g r a m …………………………………………………… 1 7 • RITETRACK: Data Management System………………………………………17 3 Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Court Division 2005 Annual Report Table of Contents (Continued) DETENTION CENTER HIGHLIGHTS…………………………………………….18 • L i v i n g U n i t s ………………………………………………………………… 1 8 • A c c r e d i t a t i o n ……………………………………………………………… . 1 8 • House Bill 400 Programming…………………………………………………19 • E d u c a t i o n a l S e r v i c e s ………………………………………………………… . 1 9 • S t a f f T r a i n i n g ………………………………………………………………… 1 9 • Po p u l a t i o n C o n t r o l ………………………………………………………… . 1 9 STATISTICAL SUMMARY/ INFORMATION YEAR 2005……………………...20-36 OFFICE LOCATIONS………………………………………………………… . 3 7 NOTES………………………………………………………………………… 3 8 4 Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Court Division 2005 Annual Report Open letter TO: The Citizens of Cuyahoga County The Honorable Thomas Moyer Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio The Honorable Jimmy Dimora, Tim Hagan and Peter Lawson Jones Commissioners of Cuyahoga County The Honorable Thomas Stickrath Director, Ohio Department of Youth Services FROM: The Honorable Joseph F. Russo, 2005 Administrative Judge Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Perhaps the most difficult question I face in this year’s open letter is “where to begin?” Remarkable progress was achieved in 2005 as evidenced by many notewor- thy accomplishments in each department of court operations. The citizens of Cuya- hoga County can be justifiably proud of the hard work and competent performance of our Juvenile Court staff. Our Court Services Department encompasses many areas of general operations, including the Intake Unit, the Clerk of Courts office and courtroom proceedings. In previous annual reports, I commented about our highly successful Commu- nity Diversion Program. This program continues to grow. With the addition of the communities of Brookpark and Bratenahl, we and our community partners now address and monitor over 2,000 youth each year right in their own neighborhoods. 5 Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Court Division 2005 Annual Report Open letter ( CONTINUED) Few matters that come before the Juvenile Court match the importance of the issues on our abuse, neglect and dependency docket. In the fall of 2005, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court became the 28th Model Court jurisdiction nationwide in association with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. As a Model Court, our focus is on constant improvement in monitoring the safety of children, the due process rights of all parties, the timeliness of our court proceedings and the efficient and effective attainment of permanency for these vulnerable youth. As I reflect on our Probation Services Department, I note the dedication of our staff in several initiatives. Among these are Project Safe Neighborhoods wherein we have established very successful in-school probation offices in two area high schools. The Court instituted a Victim Restitution Program which provides delinquent youths with the opportunity to earn money to reimburse victims. Additionally, the Probation Department began a training program for all our probation officers focusing on the specific and distinct needs of female offenders . In October, our Court hosted the Na- tional Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges seminar here in Cleveland, Ohio which covered female offender treatment, school safety, gang issues, and mental health symptoms and treatment. Within our Probation Services Department is the Grants Management Unit. The year 2005 was a very successful one as the Juvenile Court received several major awards for programs vital to our mission. The Juvenile Drug Court received a two year grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the amount of $145,000 per year. The Family Drug Court was the recipient of a three year grant in the sum of $400,000 per year through the Department of Health and Human Services Sub- stance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Together, these funds will greatly enhance our treatment service capability and allow for significant expansion of our client base. 6 Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Court Division 2005 Annual Report Open letter ( CONTINUED) Our Detention Services were faced with concerns arising from the enactment of House Bill 400. This law provided for orders committing certain delinquent youth ad- judicated of misdemeanor offenses to our detention center for periods up to ninety days. Our staff went to work immediately to devise suitable programming for these youths. Today, our Detention Center offers a variety of programs, including job readi- ness training, chemical dependency counseling, conflict resolution and life skills education as a response to these new challenges. Throughout the year, the Detention Center staff worked diligently to prepare for accreditation from the American Correctional Association. We anticipate completing this process in the coming year. Lastly, the Juvenile Court engaged in a series of semi- nars for the express purpose of developing comprehensive management training throughout the entire Court. Every supervisor on staff participated in this essential work so as to attain our long term goals of improving job performance, establishing positive manager-employee relationships and developing quality customer service practice. To all our staff who have combined to make these achievements possible, I ex- tend my congratulations and gratitude. Along with the report of our achievements, I hereby submit, in compliance with the Ohio Revised Code Section 2151.18, the 2005 Annual Report of the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court concerning the number and kinds of cases before it, their dispositions, and other data pertaining to the work of the Court. Respectfully, Honorable Joseph F. Russo Administrative Judge, 2005 7 Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Court Division 2005 Annual Report OUR JUVENILE COURT JUDGES Honorable Honorable Honorable Joseph F. Russo Peter M. Sikora Patrick F. Corrigan Administrative Judge Honorable Honorable Honorable John W. Gallagher Alison L. Floyd Kristin W. Sweeney 8 Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Court Division 2005 Annual Report COURT SERVICES Highlights MODEL COURT On any given day, hundreds of children in this county are in court-ordered foster care, not knowing when or if they’ll go home or ever have a permanent placement. Many remain without permanency for years. Since 1992, jurisdictions participating in the National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges’ (NCJFCJ) Model Court process have been striving to improve outcomes for these children and their families. The Model Courts are a group of 27 national juvenile and family courts committed to making a dif- ference in the handling of child abuse and neglect cases. In the fall of 2005, Cuyahoga County Juve- nile Court executed a contract with the NCJFCJ and was designated as the 28th model court in the country. The Court has embarked upon this multi-year, multi-phase, multi-systems change process. We have begun to: assess our child abuse and neglect case processing; examine barriers to timely permanency; and develop court improvement plans. DRUG COURT EXPANSION The Juvenile and Family Drug Courts were charged with developing programs and service delivery expansion plans in 2005. The Juvenile Drug Court team applied for and received $200,000 in funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to address the dual diagnosis needs of enrolled youth. The Family Drug Court team was awarded a $1.2 million Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse & Mental Services Administration grant to provide best practice treatment and support services such as transportation and day care. Both programs will also be able to increase their number of participants and will complete outcome evaluations as a re- sult of this funding. 9 Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Court Division 2005 Annual Report COURT SERVICES Highlights (continued) EDUCATION INITIATIVE Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court has recognized that there is an alarming correlation between educational deficiencies, inadequate education and delinquency. Well established statistics indicate that 70% of the juvenile justice population have learning disabilities and 33% are reading below the fourth grade level.

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