NCJ Number
187324
Journal
Juvenile Justice Update Volume: 6 Issue: 5 Dated: October/November 2000 Pages: 3-4-12-13
Date Published
2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article details the juvenile justice policies and programs in Delaware County, Ohio, that have produced an increased number of community-based interventions and a significant decrease in juvenile commitments.
Abstract
During 1999 and the first 6 months of 2000, Delaware County did not commit any youths to the State. Further, during 1999 none of the 50 youths adjudicated for felonies who were served by the intensive supervision probation program committed new felonies. None of the 24 juvenile sex offenders served in the community committed new sex offenses; new felony adjudications decreased by 28 percent, and nine fewer youths were placed out-of-home than in 1998. In some ways the Delaware County Juvenile Court is a throwback to earlier juvenile courts. Its pronouncements emphasize rehabilitation and avoid reference to punishment. The court is the central developer of program services to meet the needs of juveniles and the community; it administers a wide range of services that are far more often provided by the executive branch and private agencies than by the court. The court's intake department controls decision making at the front end, determining diversion, informal handling, or formal filing decisions. A part-time prosecuting attorney enters court only for contested or high profile cases. Typically, neither prosecutor nor defense counsel attends detention hearings. The court's stature and support are aided by the long-term judicial presence of Judge Thomas E. Louden, who maintains a clear and consistent philosophy that "every adult and juvenile is to be recognized as an important person in our community. The family is to be preserved ... people can and do change. When confinement for purposes of safety is not needed, there is overwhelming evidence that proves the concept of punishment and confinement alone to be ineffective and also very expensive." This article details how the juvenile court system of Delaware County operates.