Our Vision:

1. Children are valued, understood, and affirmed for their unique potential.
2. Children are nurtured in peaceful, supportive families, schools, and neighborhoods that provide structure, guidance, and knowledge.
3. Children are hopeful, enthusiastic, and committed to leading successful lives.
4. Children take responsibility for their decisions and the impact of their actions.
5. Children become lawful, productive adults.

Values:

Integrity:  I will exhibit honesty, fairness and empathy to all.

Collaboration:  I will work with various groups to achieve department goals and be open and responsive to diverse points of view.

Accountability:  I am responsible for my decisions and actions as they impact the department and the community.

Respect:  I will honor individuality and recognize and embrace differences by acting in good faith and promoting the human potential of others.

Empowerment:  I will provide and support opportunities for others to develop and grow.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Juvenile Probation and Court Services Department is to serve the welfare of children and their families within a sound framework of public safety. The Department is committed to providing the guidance, structure and services needed by every child under its supervision. In partnership with the community, the Department promotes the healing and recovery of neglected children and directs delinquent children toward reforming their behavior in the context of increased accountability, enhanced community restoration, and expanded personal competencies.

Objectives:

• The Department’s operation is defined by a treatment/rehabilitation philosophy which dictates that each child be assessed individually and receives the services necessary to meet his/her needs.
• The Department provides its services on an outreach basis, sending probation officers into the community to offer their assistance and supervise in the children’s home, schools and neighborhoods.
• Probation Officers seek to establish strong working relationship with all children to make their court involvement an opportunity for personal growth and restoration of the victim and community.
• To respond effectively to the increasingly complex needs of children, the Department engages the involvement of parents and enlists the support of the community’s other social service providers.
• By thoroughly investigating and reporting the circumstances that help shape each child’s behavior, probation officers assist the court in developing a plan of intervention that serves the needs of the child and facilitates the restoration of the victim and the community.
• Assessing both the needs and the public risk factors presented by each child, the Department employs a flexible system of response, ranging from bi-monthly supervision to intensive daily monitoring of children restricted to home confinement.
• Although committed to strengthening family ties whenever possible, probation officers will recommend that the court remove children from their homes if their safety or the security of the public is jeopardized by their continued presence.
• By combining individualized attention and support through community networking, the Department hopes to instill in all children a sense of responsibility for their actions and a belief in their own innate value and potential.