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About Status Offenders
Juvenile Diversion Program
A. Purpose:
To provide an alternative to
Criminal Prosecution for first and second time Juvenile Offenders.
- To provide an assessment and
evaluation of the situation in each individual Juvenile's case, to include drug and
alcohol use and abuse, Family Crisis intervention, etc. To make this information available
to the courts and the County Attorney.
- To decrease the amount of Juvenile
cases required to be filed on in court, thus decreasing time, money and space in the
Juvenile Justice system.
- To secure for Juveniles in Finney
County, who are Juvenile Offenders, Children In Need of Care, in conflict with their
parents, in conflict with their schools and educators or are otherwise in crisis an
immediate primary intervention. To also recommend evaluations for shelter, counseling,
refer to and supervise the completion of, for drug and alcohol abuse treatment, or
information that will serve the child's and communities best interest.
B. Objectives:
To offer an evaluation/information or referrals which will assist Juvenile Offenders,
Children In Need of Care, Runaways, juveniles in conflict with their parents or otherwise
in crisis to reduce Family conflict, drug and alcohol abuse and use, problems in school,
or the community.
- To assist the courts and the County
Attorney in making proper dispositions for these Juveniles by evaluating the family and
reporting the findings citing the facts and impressions of the evaluations when requested.
- To maximize the immediate
intervention at the time of the crisis and minimize the need for intrusion in Finney
County families where youth services and protective service needs are detected.
- To provide an intensive supervision
of juveniles who participate in this program. By doing this we are able to provide up to
date information on the status of the situation.
C. Persons Eligible:
Juveniles to 18 years of age who are alleged Juvenile Offenders, Children in Need of Care,
or in conflict with their parents. Juveniles who have been referred by parents, schools,
County Attorney, Private Attorney, Police Department, Sheriffs Department, Courts or who
has referred themself to the program are eligible for these services.
Types of Problems:
The Status Offender Office is able to provide supervision of a Diversionary Contract to
Juveniles and their families and provide referrals for services involving drug and alcohol
abuse, employment, recreation, school, and psychological needs.
- Problems which indicate a need for
services within this office a are: contact with law enforcement, use of alcohol and/or
controlled substances or inhalants, conflicts between juvenile and family, school
problems, problems in personal relationships, runaways, marital strife within the home and
inadequate parental concern and supervision.
- Anytime a Juvenile's behavior could
potentially lead him to involvement in the Juvenile Justice System, the Status Offender
Office should be thefirst point of contact for that Juvenile.
Guidelines for Referrals:
Referral for any juvenile may be done by contacting our office, either in written form or
verbally. Our office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00
p.m. Monday through Friday. The office number is (272-3695). A Status Offender Diversion
Officer can be reached on a 24 hour call basis in the event of an emergency through the
Police Dispatcher (276-1300)
- Any referrals made need to have as
much information as possible as to what the current situation is and demographics on the
referred Juvenile with a written request for Status Offender intervention. At this time
the case will be assigned to an Officer for immediate investigation and the intake process
will begin.
Status Offender Office Intake and
Supervision:
During the initial intake visit, the purpose of Status Offender intervention is
explained and a juvenile's history is obtained. The reason for the referral and events
leading up to the offense is discussed. Other areas of the juvenile's life such as drug
and alcohol use, school progress and behavior, gang involvement, home situation and
communication, compliance with parent's rules and regulations are also investigated at
this time.
- The officer then explains in great
detail the Diversion Contract and the conditions necessary to
have the case successfully diverted from the court system. It is made clear whether the
Diversion Agreement is to be an Informal Diversion (case has not been filed in court) or a
Formal Diversion (case has been filed in court but not yet adjudicated). The juvenile and
parents must agree to the contents of the contract before anything is signed. This is a
voluntary service provided for the benefit of the Juvenile and his/her family.
- Informal Diversion: Another
appointment is made for the signing of the Diversion Contract.
A $50.00 fee is due and payable at that time.
- Formal Diversion: All Formal
Diversions are signed in court and usually involve more serious charges and are always
signed in court before a Judge. These are approved by the Juveniles attorney, the County
Attorney, the Judicial Juvenile Judge and the Diversion Officer. A $50.00 fee and $16.50
Court Costs are due and payable at this time.
- The contract is then supervised by
the assigned officer, with a minimum of one contact per week by the officer (this can go
up to the day reporting level in which case the juvenile is required to report to the
assigned Diversion Officer on a daily basis) any violations are dealt with by
administrative sanctions assigning community work service, loss of privileges, or tighter
supervision. Regular testing of the Juvenile's blood breath or urine is done to detect the
use of alcohol, narcotics, controlled substances or poisons, regular curfew checks are
maintained until the completion of the Diversionary period.
- Should the terms and conditions of
the contract be violated the Informal Diversion may be revoked and the case will be
returned for formal prosecution through the County Attorney's Office. Along with the
revocation will be a detailed account of the situation and explanation of the current
problems resulting in the revocation.
In the event that a Formal Diversion fails, an affidavit for Revocation of
Diversion will be submitted to the County Attorney's Office as well as a copy to the
Juvenile, his/her attorney and the juvenile's parents or legal guardians.
- The Status Offender Diversion Office
is intended as a one-time, six month Diversion Contract. Under certain circumstances a
juvenile may be allowed a Diversion informally and then later formally.
D. Services Provided by this
office: Theft Prevention
Class
Each Juvenile that is placed on the program for a theft related charge must attend and
complete this class, They are taught how the act of theft affects themselves and the
community at large and then they are taught about the laws and penalties of violating them
as it pertains to the State. They must also write a letter of apology to the victim and
have it signed by the person that they committed the act against. this brings a degree of
accountability to the youth. For a juvenile to successfully pass the class they must take
two test's and pass each test without missing any more than one on each test. They have to
study hard to pass.
Community Violence Awareness
Class
Each Juvenile that is placed on the program for a violent related charge must attend and
complete this class, In this class they must attend a minimum of 12 classes and learn the
information presented in these classes and then pass a written or oral exam at the end of
this time period. They are taught Anger Management, Conflict resolution through
non-violent means, Gang Resistance Techniques and how Violence affects themselves as well
as the Community. The last part of the class involves education on violent Kansas State
Statues which must be memorized and possible consequences if violent behavior patterns are
repeated.
Active Parenting of Teens
Parents of the Juveniles involved with this program are often required to attend and
complete Parenting classes. During these classes they are taught new strategies to replace
old one that are not working within the home. Parenting is one of the most needed skills
that we find in many of the parents of the youth that we deal with here at Status Offender
Office. The class goes for 6 to eight weeks and the officer that is teaching the class is
certified as a Active Parenting Leader. Many parents are refreshed and recharged to take
responsibility for the parenting of their children after attending the class.
Youth Alternative Group
In this day and age we seem to often over look many of the values that we were raised with
as children and many youth of today are not exposed to these values. That in a nut shell
is what this Group is about. We have the rare opportunity to have a youth pastor donate
his time to come and talk to kids about the alternative that they do have in life an a
weekly basis. Pastor Gary Ridge teaches a traditional view on life to these youth, Many of
which are gang members and involved is some very dangerous activities away from our
office. Many of these youth feel that they have no other direction to go in life but a
life of crime. Pastor Ridge teaches that they always have options and shows them some of
these options in a non-denominational setting. This has actually turned out to be one of
the more popular groups as attendance in strictly voluntary. We average 10 to 14 youth per
week that participate.
Adopt a Highway Project
Status Offender Office has adopted the Highway stretch that goes from Red Baron
restaurant to Farmland road. Possible the dirtiest in the county and on a regular basis we
take youth out and pick up trash along Hwy. #50. We hold a one day record of 187 bags of
garbage picked up from the ditches. The juveniles are tired but also feel a sense of pride
upon a job well done.
Graffiti Removal Effort
We are in our third year of combating the fight against gang graffiti in Finney County, We
spent over 300 hours last year alone painting over the graffiti all over town. We endeavor
to continue to do this as long as the stuff is being put up, Not only is it an eyesore but
the faster we get it off the more it speaks of the pride that we have in our community.
Not only do we paint when we go into an area but we also clean it. Most areas look very
nice when we are done.
Gang Training
The status Offender Office has presented Gang awareness
training with the cooperation of USD #457, Garden City Police Department, Finney County
Sheriffs Office and Garden City Community College. We have presented to Lakin school
District, Deerfield school District, Wichita School District, Garden City Jaycee's, USD #
457, Sheriff's Posse training and a host of parent and community groups. As we experience
more activity in our community it is very important that we educate all who will listen as
to the dangers of gang activity and help develop strategies to combat this problem in our
community.
J.A.I.L. Program at Norton and
Hutchinson State Penitentiarys
Every other month a group of male juveniles is taken to either Hutchinson state
correction facility or to Norton state correction facility. During which time they are
given a "scared straight" view of what life consists of in a state penitentiary.
They are then talked with by peer inmate counselors who give them first hand information
on what they need to change in their own lives to avoid ever becoming a part of that
world. This is a very good eye opener for those youth who feel they are "above the
System".
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