COVID-19 Related Facility Survey
CJJP surveyed Iowa’s Chief Juvenile Court Officers (CJCO's) and a selection of group care facilities (Boys Town, Clarinda Academy, Family Resources, Forest Ridge, Four Oaks, Lutheran Services of Iowa-Bremwood, Woodward Academy, Youth Homes of Mid-America, Young House-Christamore), and the Boys' State Training School. The survey sought generalized responses on "what's working" with reentry because of, or in spite of, COVID-19, including barriers Juvenile Court Services and facilities are facing. The survey results can be accessed here: JReS COVID-19 Survey June 2020
Juvenile ReEntry System Effort (JReS)
The Iowa Department of Human Rights (DHR), Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning (CJJP), is overseeing the Juvenile Reentry Task Force (JRTF) in the development and implementation of the juvenile justice reentry system. Multiple state agency partners are assisting with institutionalization and/or development of policy, procedure, and structural elements of its Juvenile Reentry System (JReS). The goal of JReS is the reduction of recidivism rates and to improve other youth outcomes through implementation of comprehensive system-wide reforms to juvenile reentry policies and processes which include: enhanced cross-system coordination, utilization of quality and effective programming, and prioritization of resources. The ongoing effort was initiated and has been sustained with competitive 2nd Chance Act Funding from the federal Officer of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in 2015-16.
Active partners in the JRES effort include:
- State Court Administration (SCA)
- Department of Human Services (DHS)
- Iowa Aftercare Services Network (IASN)
- Iowa Workforce Development (IWD)
- Juvenile Court Services (JCS)
- Department of Education (DE)
- Iowa State University’s (ISU) Research Institute for Studies in Education (RISE)
- Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS) state and local agencies
- Boys' State Training School (STS)
- eight residential treatment programs
Recently, CJJP was awarded a new 3-year (October 2019 – September 2022) federal grant from OJJDP that will expand and enhance JReS. Enhancements to the work in existing facilities will continue and will be expanded to other out-of-home placement settings in varied jurisdictions throughout Iowa. Training will be conducted for placement facility staff and for the multiple regional state agency staff (IWD, SCA, IVRS, DHS, etc.) in proximity to the facilities.
- JReS Progress Report 2-6-2020 (Final Report)
- A - Iowa JReS Milestones and Efforts (Timelines)
- B - JReS Membership Roster
- C - Statewide Schematic
- D-YTDM Standards_DHS
- E-JCS Transition Policy
- F-IWD Partnering Process
- G-IVRS Serving Students in Transition Policy
- H-IVRS School Delivery Plan
- I-JCS Templates
- J-JReS MoA
- K-Facility JReS Questionnaire
- L-Facility Reviews
- M-HF766
YTDM Documents for JCS Youth
- JCS YTDM Referral Form D5 (other district forms may vary slightly)
- All About Me
- ACT Plan
- JCS Transition Plan
Key state partners have provided specific policy relative to their respective agency's work with juvenile justice system youth. Implementation and planning efforts have been conducted by local and state service providers and the treatment programs. These efforts have supported the development of transitional/reentry transition timelines, depicted in schematics, that identify the key steps and activities that should occur though every step of a youth being placed in a group care facility and the transition back to a parental or community-based home.
JReS Members:
Name | Agency | City |
Steve Michael, Co-Chair | Div. of Criminal & Juvenile Justice Planning | Des Moines |
Gary Niles, Co-Chair | Chief JCO, Juvenile Court Services, 3rd Judicial District | Sioux City |
Laura Abbott | Iowa Finance Authority | Des Moines |
Ralph Allbee | YSS, Inc./Boys' State Training School | Eldora |
Jesse Behrends | Boys' State Training School | Eldora |
Nicole Berning | Clarinda Academy | Clarinda |
Ruth Buckels | Achieving Maximum Potential (AMP) | Ames |
Teresa Burke | Polk County Decategorization | Des Moines |
Mike Butt | Clarinda Academy | Clarinda |
Amy Carpenter | Child Advocacy Board/CASA | Sac City |
Shawn Connelly | Forest Ridge | Estherville |
Debbie Craig | Four Oaks Family & Children's Services | Cedar Rapids |
Larry Cranston | Boys' State Training School | Eldora |
DeAnn Decker | Iowa Department of Public Health | Des Moines |
Shirley Faircloth | Chief JCO, Juvenile Court Services, 2nd Judicial District | Marshalltown |
Shauna Freitag | Young House Family Services | Burlington |
Patrick Garcia | Boys Town Iowa | Council Bluffs |
Stephanie Hernandez | Family Resources | Davenport |
Shawn Hollenkamp | Woodward Academy | Woodward |
Jan Huff | Iowa Department of Human Services | Des Moines |
Mary Jackson | Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services | Des Moines |
Chad Jensen | Director, Juvenile Court Services | Des Moines |
Steve Kremer | Juvenile Court Services, 3rd Judicial District | Cherokee |
Paul McNamara | Achieving Maximum Potential (AMP) | Eldora |
Mike Mitchell | Four Oaks Family & Children's Services | Cedar Rapids |
Christina Scott | Boys' State Training School | Eldora |
Richelle Seitz | Iowa Workforce Development | Des Moines |
John Spinks, Jr. | Oakridge Neighborhood Services | Des Moines |
Nikki Thomson | Youth Homes of Mid-America | Johnston |
Michelle Tilotta | Iowa Department of Public Health | Des Moines |
Kathy Vrieze | Juvenile Court Services, 3rd Judicial District | Sioux City |
Susan Walkup | Iowa Department of Education | Des Moines |
Evaluators: | ||
Mack Shelley, Ph.D. | Iowa State University - RISE | Ames |
Arlene de la Mora, Ph.D. | Iowa State University - RISE | Ames |