Agency Type: Public Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM The Blair County Juvenile Probation Office supervises juvenile offenders who come under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court. As appropriate to the individual circumstance of each offender, the Juvenile Office's mission is to provide balanced attention to the community, the imposition of accountability for offenses committed, and the development of competencies to enable juvenile offenders to become responsible and productive members of their communities. Further, the Juvenile Office is charged with providing the means for victims of juvenile crime, the community, and juvenile offenders to receive balanced attention and gain tangible benefits from their interactions with the juvenile justice system. The Juvenile Probation Office provides the following programs to offenders: PROBATION Probation is a legal status created by court order that permits a juvenile offender to remain in their community, subject to supervision by a probation officer, under conditions and restrictions imposed by the court. INTENSIVE TREATMENT PROBATION Intensive Probation provides supervision of high-risk youth remaining in their homes in their community setting. In lieu of a court commitment to an institution or group home, an Intensive Treatment Probation Officer contacts the youth a minimum of 3 times per week to ensure probation rules are being followed. The Intensive Probation Officer contacts the family, schools, employers, and significant others to monitor the youth's progress on probation. Eligibility: Requires court order. AFTERCARE TREATMENT PROBATION Aftercare Probation is a combination of services, planning, support and supervision the begins at disposition, continues while an offender is in placement, anticipates the offender's release from placement, continues until the youth is discharged from juvenile court supervision, and extends thereafter through connections to other opportunities, supports or services. Aftercare Probation is crucial if juvenile offenders are to benefit from residential treatment programs and successfully return to their homes and community. Additionally, Aftercare Probation is a key element in promoting public safety. Eligibility: Requires court order. FAMILY INTERVENTION PROGRAM The Family Intervention Program provides counseling to juveniles on probation and their families by a licensed psychologist. Eligibility: Requires court order. GROUP ACTIVITIES Group Activities, such as the Blair County Youth League, provides various opportunities for youth on probation to engage in positive leisure time activities such as softball, fishing, basketball, etc., while in the company of positive adult role models. Eligibility: Requires court order of probation. RESPONSIBLE YOUTH COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM The Responsible Youth Community Service Program is designed to hold youth on probation accountable for their offenses through a constructive program of services to the community that is designed to impress upon youth a sense of responsibility for the injuries caused to the person or property of another. Each youth is given work without compensation for a specific number of hours in a non-profit community organization or public agency. Eligibility: Requires court order. VICTIM RESTITUTION/RESTORATIVE INCENTIVE PROGRAM The Victim Restitution/Restorative Incentive Program assists juvenile offenders who qualify to fulfill their financial obligation to crime victim(s). Juvenile offenders who participate in this program will work off their debt to their victims(s) by completing community service hours. Offenders will be credited community service work hours at the prevailing minimum wage rate. The Juvenile Office will in turn disperse monies to the offender’s victim(s). Eligibility: Requires approval of JPO Coordinators SPECIALIZED INTENSIVE TREATMENT PROBATION Intensive probation provides supervision to those juvenile offenders at risk to re-offend while they remain in the community on probation. Mandatory drug and alcohol screening is required as well as all other aspects of intensive probation. Eligibility: Requires court order. SPECIALIZED AFTERCARE TREATMENT PROBATION Provides aftercare treatment services for juveniles previously in placement for drug and alcohol related problems or offenses. Requires mandatory drug and alcohol screening, as well as all other aspects of Aftercare Treatment Probation Eligibility: Requires court order. VICTIM COMPENSATION PROGRAM Program designed for youth on probation who owe restitution to earn money through employment and subsequently compensate the victim(s) of their offenses. The goals of the program are to instill accountability by encouraging the youth to accept full responsibility for their actions, realize their debt to the victim and society, and to attempt to pay that debt to the best of their ability. Eligibility: Requires court order. SCHOOL BASED PROBATION School-based probation is a program of supervision in which the school is the primary work site of the probation officer. The school-based probation officer provides on-site supervision and immediate intervention to students under court jurisdiction, by coordinating services with the school, community and family. School-based probation in conjunction with the school policy promotes a drug free, safe environment in which to improve the academic and behavioral performance of supervised youth. Eligibility: Requires court order. PEER JURY Peer jury is an intervention program designed to provide an alternative approach to first time, juvenile offenders. Local high school volunteers determine the appropriate sanctions for the offenders. The program holds youth accountable in an effort to promote behavioral change that leads to enhanced public safety. Eligibility: First time offenders deemed appropriate by Peer Jury Coordinator. BALANCED AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROGRAM The Balanced and Restorative Justice Coordinator promotes a comprehensive understanding and county plan for the implementation of the principles of balanced and restorative justice. The principle of balanced and restorative justice are premised on the concept that the clients of the juvenile probation office include the victim, community and the offender, and that each should receive "balanced attention" and gain tangible benefits from their interaction with the juvenile justice system. These concepts also require that the juvenile justice system seek to address goals regarding community protection, offender accountability, and the development of competencies in each case, and that "system balance" should be sought through the allocation of the resources necessary to achieve the goals associated with each client. MULTIDIMENSIONAL TREATMENT FOSTER CARE Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care is a program in Blair County for youth with serious behavior problems. Successful reunification is the preferred objective upon conclusion of the treatment foster care placement. Eligibility: Requires a Court Order FUNCTIONAL FAMILY THERAPY AND MULTISYSTEMIC THERAPY PROGRAMS Court operated therapy programs which have been identified nationally as two of eleven programs which prevent violence, and drug use and treat youth with problem behaviors. Youth and families who enter these programs experience intensive home counseling services. Eligibility: Requires a Court Order COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM The Competency Development Program is a Court operated program in which offenders are assigned a series of competency development classes which are designed to provide information, promote pro-social attitude and behavior changes, increase sensitivity to victims and communities, and prevent further delinquency. Eligibility: Requires a Court Order JUVENILE DRUG COURT PROGRAM The Juvenile Drug Court is a court operated program designated and staffed to supervise non-violent juvenile drug offenders. Offenders in this program are judicially intensively monitored, and receive a program of drug treatment, rehabilitative services, and probation supervision. Eligibility: Requires a Court Order VICTIMS OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS PROGRAM (VOJO) The VOJO Program provides services to victims of juvenile crime which includes notification of victim's rights, court accompaniment, information on the juvenile justice process, and restitution/victim compensation claim assistance. Victim/Witness coordinators work closely with the District Attorney's Office, the Office of Cost and Fines and the assigned Probation Officer to ensure that victim losses are restored. Eligibility: Victims of Juvenile Crime
|