• How We Partner
• Prevention Services & Programs
• Juvenile Justice Outcomes Overview

Juvenile Services Partners

• Community Partners Contact List
• Juvenile Community Corrections
• Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board
• Juvenile Detention Centers
• Juvenile Intake & Assessment
• Kansas Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention

How Juvenile Services Partners with Kansas Communities

A major initiative of the juvenile justice reform act is based on the development of a strong state and local partnership. Juvenile Services works closely with county governments and community-based agencies in the implementation and operation of juvenile justice services at the local level.

Each judicial district is required to have three core programs operational at the local level:

• Juvenile Intake and Assessment (JIAS)
• Juvenile Intensive Supervision Probation (JISP)
• Community Case Management (CCMA)

The KDOC distributes funds to the administrative county in each judicial district for the operation of these programs. Technical assistance is provided by the KDOC to assist districts in the delivery of services to youth who come in contact with these community based juvenile justice programs. Standards and procedures are developed to provide guidance in the operation of these programs.

Prevention Services and Programs

A major initiative of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act is the development of prevention programs as a part of the continuum of juvenile justice services. Prior to 1997, this had not been a focus of the juvenile justice system. Research at the national level indicates that prevention programming for at-risk youth and first time offenders can be highly effective in reducing juvenile crime and preventing the increasing long term cost of repeat offending. The KDOC supports and assists communities in developing successful programs that will help reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors. Communities are encouraged to create partnerships with other agencies that have a key interest in prevention focused services (schools, regional prevention centers, community mentoring programs) in order to maximize both funding and program capabilities. Prevention programs cover a wide range of service needs at the community level.

These programs target youth who are in need of pro-social adult role models to address adolescent behavior problems. College students, community volunteers, members of the business community, school personnel, and others provide positive social and material reinforcement to youth, allowing them to be connected to adults who promote healthy beliefs and clear standards. These programs offer opportunities for youth to interact with pro-social adults and peers and learn new skills in a safe, supportive environment.

Programs such as mentoring, after school programs, and recreation programs address several risk factors: early and persistent antisocial behavior, friends who engage in problem behavior, lack of commitment to school, and rebelliousness.

Juvenile Justice Outcomes Overview

The KDOC believes that programs, which receive state and federal funding need to be held accountable to ensure programs are programmatically sound and cost effective.

The community planning process uses the Communities That Care prevention strategy which is outcome based. Communities are trained to measure and calculate outcomes of each program.

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Juvenile Community Corrections Programs

• Juvenile Intensive Supervision Probation (JISP) serves youth sentenced by the court to a term of probation and provides: assess the youth's risk and needs, development of a supervision plan to address those needs, engaging the youth and family, assisting the youth and family to access community based services, monitoring the youth's adherence to court ordered probation conditions, and provides updates to the court concerning the youth's supervision
• Case Management (CM) serves youth who are placed in the custody of the Commissioner by the District Court for out of home placement. These youth have similar risk/needs to the JISP population, while being from families found by the court to be currently incapable of addressing the issues preventing a disposition of probation. This program also serves youth directly committed by the court to a juvenile correctional facility. Services provided include: assess the risk/needs of the juvenile and the family circumstances, develop a supervision plan with the family to work towards reunification with the family as soon as it is appropriate, identify an appropriate out of home placement and coordinate with that program to address needs of the youth and family, and work with the family to address service needs of the family in the community to help the family be prepared to support the youth upon return home.

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Juvenile detention centers are operated by local government. The KDOC has no jurisdiction over detention centers, although some youth who are in KDOC custody awaiting placement, are detained in them.  For contact information for the detention centers, please click here.

For information on the Child Care Licensing of Detention Centers, contact the Kansas Department for Children and Families Foster Care and Residential Facility Licensing Division at http://www.dcf.ks.gov/Agency/GC/FCRFL/Pages/default.aspx.

Juvenile Detention Center Locations

County-operated juvenile intake and assessment programs or systems (JIAS) are established in KSA 75-7023 and are to operate in all 31 judicial districts throughout Kansas to provide intake evaluations (screenings and assessments) for alleged juvenile offenders and children in need of care who are taken into custody by local law enforcement agencies. These local JIAS operate on a twenty-four hour a day, seven-day week basis to assist law enforcement by assessing the youth's needs after they are taken into police custody (See KSA 38-2232, KSA 38-2330 and KSA 75-7023). Custody of the youth is not transferred to JIAS during the assessment process.

The Kansas Department of Corrections – Juvenile Services (KDOC-JS) establishes operational standards for use by administrative counties for the operation of their local intake and assessment programs. Administrative contacts must use these standards to develop their local policies and procedures that direct the actions of their local employees for the intake and assessment process. These standards are the minimum standards that are intended to help guide the development of the local agency's policy and procedure manuals.

Some of the primary functions of a locally-operated JIAS include, but are not limited to:

24-Hour service Availability – The JIAS shall provide intake and assessment services 24-hours per day, 365 days per year.  Each Board of County Commissioners, local Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board and local law enforcement agencies authorize how these services are provided; whether by locally staffed facility, an on-call system, notice to appear process or other local process. At a minimum, 24-hour services must include who to contact (local name and or office) and how to contact the local JIAS for questions or assistance during the regular workday, after business hours, on weekends, and during holidays for regular or emergency situations.

Reaction and Response Time – Local JIAS staff shall respond to law enforcement upon their request within ten (10) minutes of notification.  The intake worker and law enforcement officer shall confer and determine whether an immediate assessment is required. If determined an immediate assessment is required, the assessment should commence by the local JIAS staff within thirty (30) minutes of the conversation.

County Operated - Because JIAS are operated by the local county and are staffed by county employees, different operations models are utilized based on the county organization and use of local staff and resources. In the more populated counties they typically operate JIAS as a facility that is staffed continuously. In counties where a juvenile detention center is located it is common to operate JIAS in conjunction with their facility that is staffed continuously and cross-train juvenile detention staff. However, most local JIAS operations across Kansas are staffed using an office that is staffed during regular business hours and/or evenings and use on-call juvenile intake workers in evenings, overnight hours, weekends and holidays etc. Having local staff that have skill sets to work with youth and their families that may be vulnerable, upset or angry is a necessity. For that reason, a number of counties have cross-trained staff that have experience and expertise with this population and within these areas.

Screenings and Assessments - The screenings and assessments provided at the local JIAS help determine what community-based services may be appropriate for the youth and family in that area as well as help determine if the youth can be returned home or if placement is appropriate pending a subsequent court hearing. Local JIAS staff collect the following information through an interview process:

• Criminal history (to include indications of criminal gang involvement)
• Abuse history
• Substance abuse history
• History of prior community services used or treatments provided
• Educational history 
• Medical history
• Family history

In addition, standardized screenings and assessments utilized in local JIAS include:

• Kansas Detention Assessment Instrument (KDAI) – The KDAI is administered to all detention eligible youth by the local JIAS to help determine the need for confinement based on Public Safety Risk or Failure to Appear.
• Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument – Second Version (MAYSI-2) – The MAYSI-2 is a mental health screening tool administered to youth 12 and older by the local JIAS to determine if there are immediate behavioral health needs.
  
  

Release from Intake and Assessment - One of the primary tasks of the administrative county juvenile intake worker is to support law enforcement in providing the best and most appropriate option for the immediate placement of the youth. Pursuant to K.S.A. 75-7023 and K.S.A. 38-2331, local juvenile intake workers shall use the records, reports and information obtained in the intake process to make a release determination. Working with their local law enforcement and child welfare agency partners is critical in their ability to best carry out this role. 

Referrals from Intake and Assessment - Another critical task for the administrative county juvenile intake worker is to ensure that each youth processed through the local JIAS shall have their case referred to the local Immediate Intervention Program, the county/district attorney, or the Department for Children and Family Services. Additionally, youth and families will be referred for services within the community as appropriate to address identified areas of concerns. The primary functions of local juvenile intake are established in KSA 75-7023. Again, working with their local law enforcement and local child welfare agency partners is critical in their ability to best carry out this role as well as having a good relationship and working knowledge of community resources that are available to provide needed support to a youth and/or their family.