Juvenile Detention Center

Visitation

The doors open each half hour during visiting times. Because of security concerns, it is important that you arrive at the designated times. Failure to do so may result in your not being able to visit with your child. Please do not bring children under the age of 18 with you when you come. Because of safety and security provisions, parents arriving with underage children will not be allowed to visit.

Visitation is by appointment only. Visitation occurs daily from 3:30 PM-4:30 PM and 7:30 PM-8:30 PM by appointment only. Only parents, grandparents, guardians, and siblings over the age of 18 are allowed to visit. If a resident requests visitation, detention staff will contact the requested party to schedule the visitation. Because of security concerns, it is important that you arrive at the designated times. Failure to do so may result in your not being able to visit with your child. Please do not bring children under the age of 18 with you when you come. Because of safety and security provisions, parents arriving with underage children will not be allowed to visit. Nothing may be given to your child during visitation. All visitors must have a picture ID. Visitors are required to sign in for each visit. Visitors are also required to sign an annual “Visitation Privileges” form.

About the Detention Center

History

The original Youth Home, which was built in the early 1960’s with a capacity of 12 juveniles, was renovated in the mid 1980’s, at which time its capacity was increased to 16 beds. By 1989, the tremendous population growth experienced by Ottawa County (which continues unabated) was already straining the resources of both the Court and Youth Home. At that time, Court and Detention administrators contracted with a private consultant, Mike McMillen, to explore the options for expansion.

At the same time, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department was looking to expand its overcrowded adult jail. After several failed attempts, construction of a new jail was finally approved in 1992, with construction slated to begin in 1993. With the new jail approved, and a large tract of previously undeveloped county-owned land chosen for its location, plans for the new Juvenile Detention Center and Court to be located at 12120 Fillmore Street in West Olive, Michigan quickly began to take shape.

Building design consideration included individualized pods, which includes five 8 person pods with individualized sleeping rooms for each resident. Technology was also crucial in the design to provide good surveillance as well as audio monitoring.

Although the facility attached to the jail, it is completely sight and sound separated. This has been accomplished through policy, separate control of electronic doors between the jail and detention and a privacy fence along the perimeter of the juvenile security fence. The facility was occupied in July of 1994.

Only a few years after moving into the new detention center, being over capacity was again an issue. Probation and Detention administrators implemented an early-release policy in 1998 and effectively headed off any serious problems.

In January 1998, Juvenile Court was moved from the Probate Court to the 20th Circuit Court. The Juvenile Detention Center is a working unit of the Juvenile Court. Chief Judge for the Circuit Court is Jon Van Allsburg. Judge Mark Feyen, Probate Judge, is the presiding judge. The Circuit Court Administrator is Susan Franklin. The Juvenile Court Director is Thom Lattig. Bob Alward is the Detention Center’s Superintendent. Sara Trigg is the Detention Center’s Assistant Superintendent. The Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent are administrative team members within the Juvenile Court.

Facility Description

The 20th Judicial Circuit Court Juvenile Detention Center provides secure detention for 40 male and female pre and post adjudicated residents (9-17 years of age). The single story facility occupies a building that includes the Probate Court, Juvenile Court, Clerks Office training facilities and Ottawa County Jail.

The Detention Center, located on a 600-plus acre county campus, is comprised of 5 individual 8 bed pods, each having its own living area for meals, study, television, and pod programming. In addition, there is a day room for recreational activities and a gymnasium for large muscle activities. All sleeping rooms have natural lighting, and the entire facility is air conditioned. A backup diesel generator provides electricity during power outages. Water is provided through the Grand Rapids Water Department. Water is tested monthly by the county health department. Sewage is handled by a sewage disposal plant managed by the county. A perimeter 15 foot chain link fenced-in area provides open air recreation for all residents. All pods can be viewed, and all doors within detention controlled from a central control center. In addition, the detention center houses administrative offices, 4 classrooms, intake area, medical office, locked medication room and visitor lobby. The facility is accessed from the court or directly from the outside of the building.

American Correctional Association Accredited

In 2001, the Ottawa County Detention Center became the only American Correctional Association accredited juvenile facility in Michigan. This process involves subscribing to 300 standards that address every facet of detention and assures good practices. These practices generally exceed state licensing requirements. Standards include annual inspections performed by a certified fire inspector, county environmental health inspector and a state licensing inspector. Monthly fire safety checks are completed by a trained administrative staff member. Weekly risk assessments and resident morale checks are made by the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent. Checks of all fire exits and exit lights are made on every shift by facility staff.

Resident Services

The Jail and Detention Center are sight and sound separated, but share several services. The county contracts with a private vendor to provide food service for adult inmates and juvenile residents. Detention Center clothing and linens are laundered by jail inmates as well. Juveniles’ personal clothing is laundered by Detention staff. In addition, medical services are provided by a contracted entity, VitalCore Health Strategies. They provide on site nurses who are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Monday through Friday, an assigned nurse provides time for physicals, sick calls and TB tests. A medical doctor makes rounds one day per week or on an as needed basis. A psychiatric physician’s assistant provides weekly medication reviews.

Education

Education is provided by the Lighthouse Academy. Residents are in school 8:25 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. weekdays, year-round. The curriculum is designed to improve individual resident competency as well as provide credit when residents return to their home school district. The Academy provides four certified teachers, two para-pros, and one Responsible Thinking Advisor. They develop annual goals, new curriculum, and new strategies in working with our high risk population.

Meals

Meals are provided through a contracted vendor. The detention center participates in the National School Lunch program for breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack. Participation with the National School Lunch program ensures meals are nutritious and available to all residents.

Library Services

Library services are available to all residents several times a week. The facility works with the Head Librarian of the Loutit Library in Grand Haven for assistance in selecting and purchasing library materials for residents. Residents may check out 4 library books at a time and hold them for up to two weeks.

Mental Health Services

Some youth are ordered into detention for a specified period of time through the Detention Incentive Program that can last upwards of 120 days, but the length of time varies. During this period, these residents meet weekly with a licensed therapist for review, goal setting, and working on issues such as anger, depression and reunification.

Mental health services are provided when needed. Community Mental Health Staff provide 24 hour suicide risk assessments on an on call basis. They also provide consultation on residents that score high on our MAYSI assessment for thought disturbance.

Agreements are in place for services for residents that have been sexually abused. The Child Advocacy Center provides assessments, counseling, and participates in criminal investigations of alleged sexual abuse.

Behavior Program

The Behavior Management Program uses deliberate strategies and techniques to influence youth’s behavior choices. Effective behavior management focuses not only on a youth’s immediate behavior, but on the conditions that came before the behavior and the way a youth care worker responds. It is a dynamic process where values, culture, human and physical factors play a role in youth success. More than just having youth follow rules/expectations. Behavior management looks to engage, foster accountability, teach responsibility, and reinforce appropriate behavior choices from youth. Effective behavior management requires knowledge of what to do as well as the ability to put the knowledge into action in an effective manner- it’s the “what” and the “how”-the theory into practice

One way to manage behavior is through Facility Wide-Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (FW-PBIS). FW-PBIS is the framework for how behavior is managed within the facility. FW-PBIS is a three-tiered framework adapted to match the contextual variables inherent within juvenile corrections and is an outgrowth of school-wide PBIS (www.pbis.org). Within the framework, systems are put in place to support staff members in implementation of policies and procedures, real-time data are used for decision-making purposes across the tiers, and practices are tiered within an all (Tier 1), some (Tier 2), and few (Tier 3) logic of support provision. The specific practices at each tier detail their different entrance or exit criteria, dosages, intensities, and progress monitoring requirements.Tier 1 providies universal supports for all youth, the additive Tier 2 targets supports for some youth needing additional supports, and the additive Tier 3 ensures extensive supports for a few youth with the most intensive needs

FW-PBIS approaches youth behavior and the supports provided to the youth from staff through a prevention lens. That is, instead of waiting for a youth to misbehave, the facility environment and activities are structured in a predictable, supportive, and reinforcing manner in which all staff operate from an agreed upon set of behavioral expectations and use language, including verbal de-escalation methods, to guide youth through all waking hours of their daily programming

The residents here will expect to hear positive comments, consistent praise for meeting expectations, constant encouragement, and caring feedback that build them up as a person. The residents should also expect to hear correction and clear expectations on how to be successful inside and outside the detention center

Detention Center Operations

YouthCenter

Detention uses a state-of-the-art database system that is web-based and user friendly. So many times data systems are designed for Courts or detention centers. This one is designed for both. Therefore, it has all judicial information as well as resident information. In addition, the system provides management for daily programming, medical services, and facility security. Finding information within the system is user friendly, making it helpful for the management within the facility as well as other entities. The system provides e-mail alerts to our stakeholders within the court system and those in related counties or agencies.

Staffing and Scheduling

The Detention Center staff is comprised of a Superintendent, an Assistant Superintendent, an Administrative Aide, 6 shift supervisors, 19 full time youth specialists, 1 part time relief youth specialist, and a number of youth specialists. Three shifts per day are designed to overlap for formal information exchange between shifts. Meetings include teaching staff which is comprised of 4 full time certified teachers, a Responsible Thinking Advisor, and 2 para-pros.

Funding Sources

The Family Division (Juvenile Court) administers a number of programs that provide options for the disposition of juvenile cases, ranging from probation to institutionalization to various counseling programs. Neither the court, nor the county is mandated to make available any specific programs; however the Juvenile Code does state the law “…shall be liberally construed so that each juvenile coming within the court’s jurisdiction receives the care, guidance and control, preferably in his or her own home, conducive to the juvenile’s welfare and the best interest of the state.” MCL 712A.1 (3).

In addition, MCL 400.23 requires the state to reimburse the county for 50% of expenses of providing certain juvenile services involving out of home placement or alternatives designed to prevent out of home placement. MCL 400.117 a (c) defines a juvenile justice service as including “intake, detention, detention alternatives, probation, foster care, diagnostic evaluation and treatment, shelter care, or any other service approved by the state DHS…” The portion of the costs of these services which is not covered by the state is paid for by the county. The relationship of the county and the state, and what programs the county will provide and what the state will pay for, is formally agreed to through the Child Care Fund Plan and Budget, which is annually approved by the Court and the Board of Commissioners.

Out-Of County Services

The following services are available upon request:

• Bed Rental contracts with other counties.
• R.I.S.E. Program is a secure residential treatment program located inside the Ottawa County Juvenile Detention Center.

Wellness Policy

The Ottawa County Juvenile Detention Center promotes healthy meals by supporting wellness, good nutrition and regular physical activity as part of the total learning environment.

Local School Wellness Policy – Triennial Progress Assessment

Component 1 – Nutrition

Goal -Nutrition plays an important role in the overall physical and mental development of youth, and poor nutrition adversely affects academic achievement and overall health. The Ottawa County Juvenile Detention Center will be committed to providing nutritious meals through contract with Canteen Services. We will follow all Michigan Department of Education School Lunch Program guidelines and USDA rules regulating the School Lunch Program for the youth served.

To promote hydration, jugs of water and cups are provided in the living areas and drinking fountains are available and accessible during the school day.

The Detention Center is committed to ensuring that all foods and beverages available to students in the facility during the school day support healthy eating. In the event that foods and beverages were to be sold and served during the school day, but outside of the school meal programs, those items will meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, at a minimum.

Component 2 – Nutrition Education

Goal – Nutrition Education will involve sharing information with staff and youth to positively impact the youth served. Nutrition education will be provided as a component of the school curriculum (including Edgenuity online classes), and as a life skills component in the facility. Topics included but not limited to: sources and varieties of foods, diet and disease, healthy diet, food labels, understanding calories.

Component 3 – Physical Activities

The Ottawa County Juvenile Detention Center supports the initiative to promote good health, lifelong wellness and physical activity in the academics of each youth. In addition, youth will participate in regularly scheduled physical education activities along with the educational component. A 50 minute Physical Education class is offered 5 days a week. As part of the Physical Education the Physical Education teacher schedules resident/staff activities. OCJDC provides a minimum of 60 minutes of large muscle activity daily.

Component 4 – Other School Based Activities

The Ottawa County Juvenile Detention Center supports the initiative to promote good health, lifelong wellness, and physical activities in the activities of each resident. The juvenile detention center has a garden that is planted and maintained by the students with coordination and support from the staff and teachers. In coordination with the Lighthouse Academy we will use teaching materials and activities in participation with the Michigan Department of Education School Lunch Program.

To accomplish these goals:

• Comply with federal state and local requirements for daily meals offered.
• Annual audit of menus of a licensed dietician through Canteen Services.
• Annual audit and inspection by the Michigan Department of Human Services, Child and Adult Licensing.
• All foods and beverages available during the school day should be consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
• 1% milk and skim milk is provided daily.
• Work with Canteen Services and licensed dietician to include food items lower in fat and sodium, and higher in fiber.
• Encourage collaboration with Canteen Services, the Lighthouse Academy and life skills program to promote better nutrition and healthy life style. Youth are provided an opportunity to maintain a garden. Youth are also able to enjoy the produce from the garden as a supplement to meals provided by Canteen Services.
• Monitor annually for the Food Service monitoring on a run menu review, ACA standard 4A-04 and 4A-05.
• All foods provided by Canteen Services will adhere to food safety and security guidelines.
• Bi-annual food service inspections conducted by the Ottawa County Health Department.
• Canteen Services Supervisor is ServeSafe trained and certified.
• Nutrition education will be provided and promoted within the school wellness program.
• The Detention Center will promote and monitor annually education initiative in collaboration with the school program, Canteen Services and with the use of the life skills program. These activities include, but are not limited to: Traditional American Thanksgiving & Christmas
• Physical activity will be available as a component of the school curriculum as required. Resident and staff sporting events will occur on occasion throughout the year.
• Physical activities will be promoted and provided outside the curriculum and school day, monitored through ACA standards as follows:
  • 3-JDF-5E-01 Facilities of less than 50 juveniles have staff members trained in recreation or related fields.
  • 3-JDF-5E-02 Written policy and procedures grant juveniles access to recreational opportunities and equipment including when the climate permits outdoor exercise.
  • 3-JDF-5E-03 A variety of fixed and movable equipment is provided for each outdoor and indoor recreational period.
  • 3-JDF-5E-04 Written policy, procedure and practice provide a recreation and leisure-time plan that includes, at a minimum, at least one hour per day of large muscle activity and one hour of structured leisure time activities.

Development and implementation of this Local School Wellness Policy will include the following stakeholders; students comments on food surveys, grievances, and classroom studies, a representative from Canteen Services, Physical Education teacher at the juvenile detention center, a representative from VitalCore, an administrator from the juvenile detention center and parent/guardian feedback gathered annually at visitation.

The Ottawa County Juvenile Detention Center Superintendent will be the designated official to ensure compliance with the Local Wellness Policy.

This Local Wellness Policy will be reviewed annually. It will be assessed triennially with compliance and progress made towards the policy goals. The results of each assessment will be communicated to parents during visitation.