The Juvenile division provides or utilizes community partners for a number of specific evidence-based practices and programs that focus on identified risk factors of youth.
Accountability, Skills, Transition and Education Program (ASTEP)
Provides an alternative to detention for technical probation violations as well as case management services through an after-school program that provides behavioral and vocational skill development, and tutoring services, and uses incentives to reinforce positive behavior and effort of medium or high-risk youth as assessed by the Juvenile Crime Prevention (JCP) risk assessment and served by the division through diversion or probation. The after-school program is provided Monday through Friday 4pm – 8pm during the school year and 1pm-5pm during the summer months. Staff additionally assist with reconnecting youth as they transition from detention and residential program to an approved educational program back in the community. Assisting in breaking down barriers and getting youth to re-engaged and performing in school, building new pro-social skills and being better skilled at entering the job market, assisting in the overall goal of recidivism reduction and crime prevention.
Aggression Replacement Training (ART) Skills Streaming
ART is designed to teach a broad curriculum of prosocial behavior, interpersonal skills, a method for empowering youth to modify their own anger responsiveness, and teaches moral reasoning training to help motivate youth to employ the skills learned.
ART is an intervention that includes pro-social skills training, anger control and moral reasoning. Youth are expected to learn to substitute pro-social thinking and behavioral skills for aggressive and other anti-social activities.
Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS)
EPICS is research informed and heavily grounded in Social Learning Theory. EPICS assists staff in applying principles of effective intervention and core correctional practices to their supervision practices. The model encourages regular assessments of interaction between staff and youth and an emphasis on establishing a relationship and building rapport. The EPICS model is not intended to replace programming and services but to add to these services to assist in supporting behavior change.
Mental Health Services
On-site mental health services in detention and residential programs provides mental health assessments, brief crisis assessments, individual counseling, group treatment and additional services to youth referred by division staff.
Girl’s Circle
Girl's Circle is a structured support group that addresses the specialized needs of girls ages 9–18 by integrating relational–cultural theory (RCT), resiliency practices, and skills training into a specific format designed to increase positive connection, personal and collective strengths, and competence in girls. It aims to counteract social and interpersonal forces that impede girls’ growth and development.
Options to Anger Curriculum
The curriculum covers the automatic anger cycle, early warning signs, physical and emotional, "I" statements, taking space strategies, anchoring (using positive self-talk for self-affirmations, putting things into perspective, snapping out of anger), relaxation techniques, and the courage needed for change and negotiation skills.
Truthought Cognitive-Behavioral Group Curriculum
Identifying thinking patterns that lead to one’s lifestyle and character is the process and purpose of this curriculum. Responsible thinking develops good decision-making skills and lends itself to positive character formation. Truthought helps bridge the educational and development pages between thinking that builds academic skill and thinking that shapes one’s lifestyle and character.
Drug and Alcohol Education / Treatment
Utilizing both on-site, in the detention and residential, and community-based programs, youth are referred to receive education, out-patient treatment or in-patient treatment depending upon their needed level of education/treatment. Community-based programs are encouraged to use evidence-based practices and programming to be the most effective in dealing with youth referred.
The Change Companies Cognitive-Behavioral Group and Individual Curriculum
This curriculum uses journal series and group processes that use evidence-based strategies to assist youth in making positive changes to their thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an approach designed to facilitate resolution of issues that inhibit positive behavior change by actively engaging the youth in the process. It demonstrates empathy, encourages youth self-exploration, and emphasizes youth autonomy that can successfully help them pursue a course of change.
Boys Council Curriculum
Boys Council is a strengths-based group approach to promote boys’ and young men’s safe, strong and healthy passage through pre-teen and adolescent years.
Women Overcoming Resistance to Happiness (WORTH)
WORTH is a gender specific program for youth on probation with the division. The program utilizes the Girl’s Circle curriculum and focuses on uniting youth together for friendship, respect, support and sisterhood (not judgement) in a safe place.
Sexual Offense Treatment Program
Youth who have been assessed and are amenable to community- based sexual offense treatment are placed into the "Choices" Sexual Offense Program. All youth who are in the "Choices" treatment program are assigned to one probation officer responsible for supervising this population. This probation officer meets frequently with youth, parents and therapists and is a fundamental part of the treatment process. The therapist is certified through the Oregon Sexual Offense Treatment Board (SOTB) that oversees the practices of clinical, secondary, associate and intern sexual offense therapists in the State of Oregon.
Gang Prevention and Intervention
Troy Wohosky, Spartan Boxing, provides outreach and case management services to youth/young adults that focuses on prevention, intervention and suppression of gang activity or involvement. Services are to youth currently involved with or at risk of being involved in the juvenile justice system and focus on developing skills around individual responsibility, community service, problem solving, peer education, leadership, conflict resolution and mentoring.
Youth 71:Five VoTech Program
Explores a variety of well-paying career tracks and provides basic training to prepare a student to be ‘APPRENTICE READY’ in: Auto Repair, Small Engine Repair, Welding & Steel Fabrication, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Woodworking, Construction, Aviation Maintenance, and Soldering. It provides hands-on, project-based training that gives relevant, real-world experience. This program offers life skills training that is vital to developing a healthy life at work and at home. Youth from the Barriers 2 Bridges program attend as part of their educational program through the Medford School District.