Probation Services
The Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Probation Department empowers youth and families, builds a stronger and healthier community, and enhances public safety by collaborating with community partners to strengthen family relationships, habilitate juveniles, and reduce recidivism.
Available Services
Residential placement is out-of-home therapeutic placement for youth needing the most intensive level of services. All of the facilities used by the Court are licensed by the State of Ohio and are staff secure, providing intensive counseling and supervision 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Youth placed in residential treatment are typically youth who have not adjusted well to community-based services. Removing a youth from his/her home is always a difficult decision. The Court’s goal is to work with youth and their families in the least restrictive environment and to only place a youth out of home after community-based resources have been exhausted. Services in residential placement include but are not limited to: Individual therapy, group therapy, anger management, sex offender treatment, chemical dependency treatment, and family counseling; mental health care, psychological, and psychiatric evaluations and monitoring; Medication evaluation and monitoring; Educational services, including special education, GED preparation & vocational education.
Is a unique, goal-oriented, comprehensive, and evidence-based treatment program designed to serve youth with multiple problems. MST is a community-based treatment program that has been cost effective for youth with complex emotional, social, and academic needs. MST provides intensive services within the family’s ecology including the home, school, and community. Therapists are available 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Each therapist has a caseload size of 4-6 families to allow for the necessary intensity of the services. The average length of treatment is between 3-5 months.
- MST Brochure
- MST & You
- MST Services Fact Sheet- Families
- MST Services Fact Sheet- Juvenile Justice
- MST Contact Information
Watch the Multisystemic Therapy Explained by the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court
Assists youth and families in locating appropriate community service, non-profit affiliated activities to provide opportunities for the youth to make amends to victims and satisfy court orders. The program encourages youth to take responsibility for their actions and can be used as a court-ordered dispositional option. Community Service Coordinators network with different non-profit sites around the city (churches, food banks, community gardens, thrift shops, recreation centers, teen organizations, etc.). Community Service Coordinators place, monitor, and track youth until community service hours are completed.
Is an evidence-based, intensive, day treatment program giving participants time to improve their behavior and learn new skills prior to disposition, increasing their chances to successfully remain in the community while on probation. The CBIC program is designed to target youth who are assessed to be moderate to high risk for recidivism. CBIC addresses the criminogenic thinking patterns and behaviors that have impacted the youth’s abilities to function as a productive part of society. This program has been successful in assisting youth who exhibit criminogenic behaviors to make pro-social choices and reduce recidivism. The CBIC program is based on the curriculum of Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention-A Comprehensive Curriculum for Juveniles developed by the University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute. The two distinct parts of the curriculum are cognitive restructuring and social skill interventions, which build upon one another and lay the foundation for problem-solving skill development. The program can vary in length depending on the youth’s participation; approximately 10 to 12 weeks to complete.
This unit provides support for youth, families, and community partners in Cuyahoga County. The unit is responsible for the facilitation of the ODYS and ACP committees, Service Coordination Team meetings, and Onsite Service Coordination meetings. The committees review cases that need intensive services and are at high risk of being removed from the community into a placement setting. The committees create goals and recommendations for the jurist to consider in lieu of out-of-home placements when possible.
Juvenile Drug Court
It serves as a pre-adjudication diversion option for youth, who, if not for their underlying issues with substance abuse, would not have come to the Court’s attention. This docket best serves moderate to high-risk youth who have a substance abuse diagnosis or co-occurring disorders. This intensive docket requires participants to attend regularly scheduled court hearings, participate in individualized treatment, meet with a case manager multiple times a week, and submit to random drug screens. All youth and families have access to In-Home Integrated Co-Occurring Treatment, Intensive Outpatient Programming (IOP) and residential options when necessary. Graduated rewards and sanctions are utilized as youth move through the three phases of the program to aid in behavior management and modification.
Safe Harbor Docket
It serves identified survivors of human trafficking and/or youth deemed at risk of being trafficked. Upon referral, all youth will receive a Human Trafficking Victim Assessment (HTVA). Participants are provided community or residentially based trauma-informed, wrap-around supportive services to promote healing, empowerment, and family engagement.
Phoenix Court
It serves youth with mental health and substance use disorders who are currently on probation and are at risk of going deeper into the youth justice system. The program is designed to divert youth from local and state detention centers into a more comprehensive, community-based mental and behavioral health treatment. Services include case management, intensive probation services, access to crisis/stabilization bed, and evidence based in-home therapy, such as Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) and In-Home Integrated Co-occurring Treatment (ICT). The docket requires participants to attend regularly scheduled court hearings, participate in treatment, and meet with the assigned Phoenix Court Coordinator and their therapist weekly. Graduated rewards and sanctions are utilized as the youth moves through each phase of the program.
Promise Team
They serve girls with a history of trauma and behavioral health disorders who are currently on probation and have current or recent involvement with Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The Promise Team is designed to divert girls from local and state detention centers into a more comprehensive, community-based behavioral health treatment. The Promise Team believes in the promise and potential of each girl as an asset in our community. Services include case management, intensive probation services, access to crisis/stabilization bed, and evidence-based in-home therapy, such as, Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST), Integrated Cooccurring Treatment (ICT) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and enhanced supportive services, including educational/vocational services, mentoring, and access to prosocial services and funds. Graduated rewards and sanctions are utilized as the youth moves through each phase of the program. Each girl will receive an aftercare plan prior to successful completion.
Re-Entry Court
Is designed to address the needs of youth returning to the community from Ohio Department of Youth Services (ODYS) institutions. Identified youth who are at high risk for further delinquent activity are selected before their release. This specialized docket provides needed support and intensive supervision through joint efforts with ODYS and other county agencies for youth and families. Education, employment, and life skills opportunities are provided in an effort to maintain youth safely in their communities.
Family Recovery Court
The docket participants are parents of children who are alleged to be abused, neglected, and/or dependent and are at risk of losing custody of those children due to their drug dependency. This intensive program is designed to reduce the time that a child may have to spend in out-of-home placement while the parent receives treatment for their substance abuse addiction.
Is Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court’s GPS supervision unit. This unit provides 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year surveillance monitoring for all youth assigned to a GPS bracelet. Each youth ordered to Home Detention by a Judge or Magistrate will have their whereabouts monitored immediately upon their departure from the Juvenile Justice Center located at 9300 Quincy Ave Cleveland, OH 44106. While on Home Detention the youth is expected to adhere to all rules and regulations of the program. If the youth reside in an apartment complex or similar housing, they are not allowed access to the common areas of the apartment complex. All youth must be available for all phone calls and face-to-face interactions with Home Detention Officers, which may occur at any time during the day or night. During intake the youth and parent/guardian will provide the youth’s school information and hours. The youth is expected to attend school on time daily. Further, the youth is permitted to attend all medical appointments, religious services, court appearances, and probation appointments with 24 hours advance notice provided to the Home Detention Officer assigned for approval by the parent/guardian. The youth is permitted to work while on Home Detention with authorization by the Judge or Magistrate assigned to the case. Any violation of the Home Detention contract could result in further corrective actions, such as remand to the Juvenile Justice Center Detention Center.
Supervisory Probation Officers are responsible for the ongoing monitoring of youth in the community. Supervisory Probation Officers conduct assessments and develop case plans with youth and families designed to lower the youth’s risk to reoffend and address any needs. Probation Officers are well-trained in the use of Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) to engage youth and families. Probation Officers participate in a variety of activities with youth and families, including home visits, school visits, court hearings, and community and collateral contacts. Additionally, Probation Officers work closely with school officials, law enforcement, and community stakeholders to not only address problems and concerns but to also link families to their neighborhood and community to foster positive relationships. Probation Officers use a variety of graduated sanctions and rewards aimed at encouraging positive behavior and correcting negative behavior. The overarching goal of probation supervision is to provide interventions that identify and develop youth and family strengths while building supports to sustain and support positive change.
Is responsible for conducting an initial risk assessment the measures the youth’s risk of recidivism by assigning a level, in addition to preparing a social history report for the jurist that includes previous charges, family history, school performance, mental health, and substance abuse concerns. Based on the information collected, Investigative Probation Officers make recommendations for various assessments to evaluate specific concerns, such as substance abuse, mental health, and sex-offending behavior. The Investigative Probation Officer then writes a report detailing all of the collected information and presents a carefully considered recommendation to the jurist to assist in dispositional decisions, which considers the Court’s mission to both protect the community and rehabilitate youth offenders.
Probation Support Services is the first stop for families once a youth is placed on probation. This unit will meet with families to discuss the dispositional orders, collect any required DNA and/or Fingerprints if required, and assign a probation unit for supervision based on residential location.