Youth Education and Intervention Services

The mission of the Youth Education & Intervention Services Department is to divert unruly/delinquent youth from penetrating further into the Juvenile Justice System through effective prevention, intervention and treatment services that strengthen families and restore the lives of troubled youth.  The department consists of several research-informed and evidence-based programs designed to address unruly/delinquent behavior through Court managed and contracted programming which include:  

The Community Restorative Circles Program is a Court operated, community-based intervention program that acts as an arm to the Court bringing together the juvenile offender and his/her parent(s), the victim, and members of the community. Community volunteers provide juveniles with the opportunity to repair the harm done to their victims and to make a positive contribution to their own community.  

The Forum Program allows second time property, public ordinance related misdemeanor offenders to participate in psychological screeners and evaluations to address recurrent unruly/delinquent behavior through referrals to Court contracted mental, behavioral, chemical dependent and family programming in lieu of traditional formal Court proceedings. 

The General Diversion Program is a Court-operated intervention program designed for misdemeanor offenders. Youth referred to the General Diversion Program are assessed, diverted and referred to community-based programs or Court managed programs in lieu of formal Court proceedings. 

The Police Initiated Diversion Program is a Court-operated intervention program designed to redirect youth from further involvement with the juvenile justice system through partnerships with participating police departments.  Youth are referred on an Informal basis in order to provide linkages to supportive services with the goal to foster positive change and promote pro-social behavior while focusing on public safety through minimal case management services. 

The Teen Court Program is a Court-operated intervention program designed to provide an alternative response from the juvenile justice system for misdemeanor offenders. Teen Court holds juvenile offenders accountable and provides educational enlightenment for the youth into the juvenile justice system.  

The Truancy Diversion Program is a Court-operated intervention program designed to provide an alternative response from formal Court proceedings to youth charged with habitual truancy through service linkages, court contracted counseling services and interventions to address attendance barriers contributing to the underlying truancy charge. 

The Truancy Intervention & Prevention Program through contractual partnership with school districts within Franklin County provides targeted interventions to youth and families to reduce school truancy filings through service linkages, counseling services, and other interventions to address attendance barriers to avoid formal Court involvement. 

The Unruly/Incorrigible Youth Services Program provides interventions to resolve home conflicts or unruly/incorrigible behaviors through behavioral and mental health assessments provided by Forum, LLC with service linkages to either Franklin County Children Services, Family Stabilization Unit, Buckeye Ranch, Nationwide Children’s Hospital or other Court contracted programming.   

The Reception Center Program serves Franklin County youth who, at the time of arrest, score low or moderate on the Franklin County Juvenile Court Detention Screening Instrument and are eligible to be diverted to the Reception Center in lieu of admission to the Juvenile Intervention Center.  Youth are referred directly by Franklin County Juvenile Court in consultation with law enforcement.  No other youth are eligible to be admitted to the Reception Center.