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CLEVELAND, OH (August 5, 2025) - The Ohio Department of Youth Services (ODYS) has awarded approximately $30 million to Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court to establish a trauma-informed Community Correctional Facility (CCF). The facility will provide intensive trauma-informed services in a safe and secure setting. The program will target youth adjudicated of felony offenses as a diversion from commitments to the Ohio Department of Youth Services correctional facilities.

Cuyahoga County engaged in a competitive bidding process among the three largest urban counties. Hamilton and Franklin Counties also applied. This opportunity came about after Governor DeWine convened the Juvenile Justice Working Group to conduct a thorough review of juvenile justice issues in Ohio. The Working Group made the recommendation for ODYS to fund CCFs in the three largest counties. Funding was secured for only one CCF this year.

Currently, there are 11 CCFs throughout Ohio. These CCFs are far away from Cuyahoga County, placing a burden on family and community members to visit and engage in treatment or aftercare planning, resulting in worse outcomes for youth and families. Additionally, 70% of Cuyahoga County referrals, which included cases with violent histories or behavioral issues, to out-of-county CCFs have been rejected due to strict admission criteria.

Establishing a CCF locally allows Cuyahoga County to design a facility to meet the unique needs of youth from our community. The proposal includes strong community support, including credible messengers, Restorative Justice Practices provided by Project Lift, Trust-Based Relational Interventions Curriculum to foster safety and positive relationships led by trauma-responsive interventions, and mindful-based art and music therapy. Additionally, the curriculum was designed to be effective and includes Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, grief and loss groups to support young people impacted by community gun violence, and family therapy.

“We are thrilled to be selected by the State of Ohio for the new Community Correctional Facility (CCF),” said Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Administrative Judge Thomas O’Malley. “A CCF in Cuyahoga County will allow us to provide treatment to youth that includes intensive involvement with their family and critical community support. This would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our County and community partners. The innovative design and programming for our CCF would not be possible without their guidance. We are excited to get started and grateful to the Ohio Department of Youth Services for their selection of Cuyahoga County.”

Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court worked with many community partners to co-design a proposal that would put our county over the top to be awarded. From small grassroots organizations to behavioral health and trauma experts, each weighed in on the design to create a culturally responsive program. These partners will continue to be engaged in the ongoing planning and design of the program to provide continual quality improvement efforts once the program is implemented.

The 32-bed facility will serve both male and female youth with a history of felony level offenses. As many of these youth were victims of trauma and violence themselves, the CCF aims to address the root causes of violence with a focus on trauma-informed care and building meaningful positive connections with adults. The program also aims to curb gun violence by building resiliency with young people through prosocial activities and workforce development opportunities. Young people will step back into their community with stronger social ties, meaningful family therapy, and mentors to help them navigate the re-entry process successfully.

The leadership of Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court credits the strong support from community partners that helped design the proposal. They would like to thank the leadership of Cuyahoga County for their strong support over the last ten months. The Court credits the community for the success of this proposal. They would also like to thank Governor DeWine and Director Ast and all the leadership at ODYS for this opportunity to build a model CCF in Cuyahoga County.

Read the Cleveland.com story.