DIVERSION SERVICES

TRUANCY REFERRALS

Truancy is one of the most difficult types of cases that the juvenile court handles.  Typically the factors that contribute to a child’s failure to attend school are complex and involve issues that relate to family dynamics.  The issues may revolve around financial difficulties, emotional problems of either the parent or the child, substance abuse issues, or school performance difficulties.  The solutions to these problems are as varied as the problems themselves.

In 2000, this court formed a partnership with the Clayton County Public Schools, Office of the District Attorney, and the Office of the Solicitor General to develop a truancy intervention program called TRIP (Truancy Reduction and Intervention Program). The Clayton County Department of Family and Children Services later joined the partnership when the scope of the program was broadened to address truancy at the elementary grade level.

The school system notifies parents in writing after five unexcused absences and invites the parent to attend a Student Attendance Committee (SAC) meeting at the school.  At this meeting, strategies or interventions are developed to address the child’s truancy.  Parents are informed of the law regarding truancy and the penalties for violating the law.  The school also sends a letter after the seventh unexcused absence for students 14 years and older only, concerning notification of possible suspension of the child’s license for excessive absenteeism.  If after the SAC meeting, the child has 3 more unexcused absences, then they are referred to a Truancy Education and Awareness Meeting (TEAM) held at the child's school.  This meeting is presented by a Juvenile Court Judge, Assistant District Attorney, Truancy Coordinator, School Social Worker and Department of Family and Children Services (for elementary age referrals).  The parents and children attending this meeting are told the possible consequences of their children not attending school, school policies regarding attendance and other general information.  In many cases, parents are experiencing difficulties and require assistance from the court or other agencies such as Clayton County Mental Health or Department of Family and Children Services.  In other cases, the parents are neglecting or abusing their child, or the child has an unruly attitude that requires court intervention.

If after the TEAM meeting, the child has 2 more unexcused absences than a referral from the school is submitted to the school social worker who will work with the family to try to resolve the Truancy issues.  If the school social worker determines that court intervention is needed, a complaint alleging Truancy (middle and high school students) or Truancy/Deprived (elementary school students) can be filed with the court.  With the Truancy/Deprived complaints, is a petition is deemed necessary, then an Order for Department of Family and Children Services to conduct an investigation into the allegations of education neglect and submit a report at the time of court.  At this hearing, many different dispositions can happen from a dismissal to removal of the child (very rare), depending on the outcome of the investigation.  This court works very hard to keep children with their parent/guardian when at all possible.  Safety Plans or Protective Orders are also used.  With the Truancy complaints, a petition alleging Truancy is drafted and the case is scheduled for Court.  If found to have committed the unruly act of Truancy, then the child is placed on an Order of Supervision.  This court could order a wide variety of services such as counseling, programs or workshops, community service, etc.  Another key component in the court’s intervention is a referral to our ANCHOR program for special education assistance or services.  This court is committed to helping children with their education and providing services or recommendations for assistance in this process.

MEDIATION PROGRAM - ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION DEPARTMENT

What is ADR? - Alternative Dispute Resolution is a term that describes a number of processes used to resolve disputes as an alternative to formal processing of complaints.  These informal processes include negotiation, conciliation, mediation and arbitration.  ADR processes provide a less formal, less adversarial and less expensive method of addressing disputes.  Courts have increasingly utilized these methods as tools to alleviate crowded calendars.

In the fall of 1986, the Juvenile Court of Clayton County implemented the Mediation Program.  This action was taken to supplement the court’s existing restitution effort.  The program employs a full-time program coordinator and a full-time juvenile court officer.  Mediators used in the program are selected from the community with various backgrounds, are registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, and have completed a 20-hour course in juvenile mediation training.

What is Mediation? - Mediation is an informal process in which the parties involved are empowered to resolve their own differences with the assistance of a neutral third party, the mediator.  Mediation is a voluntary process as the parties voluntarily agree to work together to resolve their differences.  The parties may solicit legal representation, but it is not necessary nor mandatory in this setting.  The main focus of mediation is not to prove guilt or innocence, but rather to address the charge, identify the conflict, clear up any misunderstandings, and attain a resolution that is workable for all parties involved.  Furthermore, mediation creates a forum for accountability and provides the respondent with an educational awareness about the law as it relates to juveniles.  Mediation opens the door to bridge and nurture broken relationships while creating new alliances.

What is the Process? - Complaints received at the Juvenile Court are screened through the Intake Division of the court and forwarded to the ADR Unit for mediation.  In most instances, the cases involve property damage, loss of property, and school or family related issues.  The program also mediates grandparent petitions and deprivation issues as ordered by the judge.

Once a case has been identified as appropriate for mediation, the victim is contacted and invited, but never coerced, to seek a mediated solution.  If the victim agrees, a mediation hearing is scheduled.

The goal of each session is to produce an agreement that is acceptable to both parties.  In all cases the youth are encouraged to be accountable for their actions.  The youth also participate in the process by “brainstorming” with the victim to determine possible resolutions.  In many cases, the agreement will consist of restitution to the victim and participation of the youth in a workshop provided by the court to address the behavior.  Failure to comply with the terms of the agreement may result in the matter being set for a formal court hearing presided over by a judge.

The mediation program has successfully addressed shoplifting cases involving merchants in the community and property damage cases involving private citizens.  In addition, the mediation program has been effective in handling school-related offenses and neighborhood conflicts.

CASA (COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATE) PROGRAM

The Clayton County CASA program, a division of the Clayton County Juvenile Court provides essential, high quality advocacy, intervention and support to children who have been the victims of abuse and neglect in Clayton County, who are in the care and custody of relatives, or are involved in custody dispute cases.  Statistical evidence shows that as numbers of substantiated child abuse and neglect cases rise, so does the need for effective intervention and expansion of current program capability.

CASA programs represent a well documented and nationally recognized response to this growing need.  CASA volunteers, serving as the child’s own special advocate or Guardian Ad Litem, develop relationships with assigned children and families, enabling them to be a powerful voice and presence throughout the Juvenile and Superior Court process.

Trained CASA volunteers working in concert with the Juvenile Court, Superior Court, the Department of Family and Children Services, and others from the community, provide support services and bring relevant information, resources, and recommendations to the Court in the best interests of children. In 2009, over 200 active Clayton County CASA Volunteers advocated for 794 children.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Clayton County CASA program provides advocacy and intervention to abused and neglected children and Guardian Ad Litem services to children involved in custody disputes through commitment to the following program values:

CASA is committed to these values equally in order to achieve its goal of providing a meaningful and effective volunteer for every child found to be deprived in Clayton County.

OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Friends Of Clayton County CASA, Inc. – advisory board that advocates for the Clayton County CASA program by increasing public awareness, recruiting, and supporting volunteers, identifying individual and community resources and identifying professionals to serve on the board.

Ambassadors Behind CASA (ABCs) – a membership organization of volunteers whose purpose is to provide service to the Clayton County CASA Program as a partner to The Friends of Clayton County CASA, Inc. by increasing community awareness of CASA, supporting, developing, and implementing fundraising initiatives, and sponsoring activities for the children advocated for by CASA.

Team Guardian - a recruitment project targeting male volunteers at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Darlin’ Duck Derby – annual fundraiser to support the CASA program.

For additional information about Clayton County CASA or The Darlin’ Duck Derby, visit their Web sites at claytoncasa.com and ducksRcoming.com.

JUDICIAL CITIZEN REVIEW PANELS

There is a consensus that all children are entitled to permanency and stability in their lives.  Foster care is intended to be short-term placement. The Permanent Homes for Children in Georgia Program was designed to assist the court in determining what the most appropriate permanency plan is for children in foster care. In 1984, the Program came under the auspices of the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges.  In March 1986, the Judicial Citizen Review Panel became part of Clayton County Juvenile Court.

The Judicial Citizen Review Panel consists of a cross-section of volunteers from the community, who undergo 2 days of specialized training to acquaint them with the process of foster care review, from the Council of Juvenile Court Judges.  Upon completion of training, the volunteers are sworn in as officers of the Court.

Currently there are 40 active volunteers, who average about 4 hours each month serving on one of nine Panels to review cases of children placed in foster care throught the Court. The Penl works closely with the Department of Family and Children Services case-managers, parents, the children, foster parents, and CASA and service providers to ensure compliance with the court ordered case plan and to make sure that all necessary services are being provided to the family. The Panels ultimate task is to see that the children are in a permanent home as soon as safely possible, and therefore makes recommendations to the Judge that will best serve the children. The Judge has final authority in all matters. 

Federal law requires that each child in foster care be the subject of a case review every six months or sooner.  During 2009, the Citizen Review Panels conducted 258 panels affecting the lives of 423 children in Clayton County, and helped to achieve permanency by closing 96 cases by either reunifying with parents, placed with relatives or adopted.

For more information, the Citizen Review Panel Office can be reached at (770) 473-5977.

RESTITUTION PROGRAM

Restitution is a process by which juvenile offenders repay their victims for loss, damage or injury to a person or property. Viewing it in historical terms, the practice of restitution is one of oldest sanctions employed by man.

In 1978, the Clayton County Juvenile Court submitted an application to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to establish a juvenile restitution program in Clayton County. In 1979, Clayton County received a grant award in the amount of $227,000 and the program was implemented that same year. In March of 1982, the grant period terminated and, although the program was reduced in scope, we continued to require restitution in appropriate cases.

Most of these cases involve crimes against property or crimes against the person. Restitution involves conducting investigations to determine whether the victim in a particular case should receive monetary restitution and if the child should be ordered by the court to perform community service work.

In 2009, $18,394.40 in monetary restitution was collected for payment to victims. A total of 374 offenders were ordered to perform an average of 17.6 hours each in community service duties. A total of $18,554.13 was disbursed to victims.

The overall goal the of restitution process is to (a) strive to ensure that victims receive restitution; (b) address the issue of offender accountability; and (c) enhance community support for the juvenile justice system.

PROGRAMS SERVICES

Introduction - The Programs Services Unit coordinates programming that is delivered to youth who come to the attention of this Juvenile Court.  Youth on probation as well as those who are supervised under an informal contract are referred to these programs by their supervising court officers. First time offenders are usually given an opportunity to have their charge dismissed by completing a program or workshop.  Included is information regarding the school system and general public’s use of some of the programs. 

Through a cooperative agreement entered into by the school system, the local police departments, other interested agencies and the Juvenile Court, School Resource Officers can refer students to the School Conflict Workshop for certain “focused acts” without filing a complaint for the delinquent act.  The goal is to expose the students to information that can help the students avoid further school conflict.  In addition, school principals can use the first four programs mentioned here as an alternative to out of school suspension.

Most programs offered by the Juvenile Court require parental participation.  Parents’ attendance and participation at each session allows them to reinforce the information at home, thereby increasing the court’s effectiveness with their children.

The goal of the Programs Unit is to develop quality programming that is both cost effective and specific to the needs of the children.  The providers of these services include both court personnel and community agencies. 

Vision of the Programs Unit - The Vision of the Programs Unit is to achieve excellence by providing quality services for the positive development of children, the safety of the community and the preservation of the family unit.

Mission of the Programs Unit - The Mission of the Juvenile Court of Clayton County, Georgia is to endeavor to protect and restore the children of Clayton County as secure and law-abiding Members of society and to strengthen families and reduce the need for further intervention.  This involves the prompt treatment, rehabilitation, and supervision of delinquent and unruly children and the decisive processing of deprivation cases.  The Court will do this through the fair and equal treatment of children, families and citizens involved with the court, using services offered through the Court and in collaboration with families, community organizations, and governmental agencies.

How Quality is defined:

• Meeting the needs of Juveniles, their families
• Meeting and /or exceeding our department goals.
• Validating results of our programs through multiple and accurate evaluations.
• Communicating effectively with other agencies and partners in the community.
• Our guiding principles
• Making a positive difference in the lives of the juveniles we serve
• Being partners with the school district, communities and families we serve
• Achieving measurable results from programs we use on behalf of the court.
• Ensuring that every programs team member has a great place to work by fostering a culture of professionalism and respect
• Building our future on sound programming management practices and striving for excellence in every aspect of our work.

Outreach Programs

The first three programs listed are available to the general public.

Family Orientation Series: Youth are mandated to attend this program by the court or by the school system. Clients must attend both lectures in the series, Juvenile Court Basics and Being an Active Parent.  Families in the community who are not mandated to attend but wish to learn more about any of the topics can attend only the lecture of interest.  Presented from 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays in Choral Rm 704 at Mt. Zion High School.  Each week one of the four topics is discussed:  Introduction to Juvenile Court, Adolescent Development, Active Teen Parenting and Resiliency. 

Project HIP: Is a collaboration between the Atlanta Transitional Center, the Sheriff’s Correctional Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T) team, and the Juvenile Court.  This program gives youth a true picture of prison and gang life as told by young adults who made serious mistakes in their teen years.
   
School Conflict: Gives an overview of Georgia Juvenile Law and conflict resolution, particularly in the school setting.  This interactive workshop is presented from 6p.m.-8:30p.m. once a month at the Clayton County Performing Arts Center. 

The following programs are available to Court referred youth ONLY.   Court officers sign youth up for any of these programs as the court officer deems necessary:

Baby Think It Over: Is a computerized baby doll that is given to each youth to care for a weekend.  This program introduces the responsibility of having a baby before one is prepared to take on the responsibility of becoming a teenage parent.

Evening Reporting Center (ERC): The purpose of the ERC is to provide an alternative to recommending detention for juveniles who violate probation or now are awaiting trials.  Probationers meet from 4 to 8 p.m. at the center, five days a week.  The ERC staff picks the clients up and drop them off at home before and after the day’s activities.

Law Related Education Series: The purpose of this program is to increase students’ knowledge of the law, explain the purpose of the Juvenile Court, distinguish between the consequences for the different levels of offences under the law and to describe how juveniles lives can be affected by charges they  received.  This is done with the collaboration of the Atlanta Transitional Center and the Clayton County Public Schools.

Second Chance Drug Court: The purpose of the Second Chance Drug Court is to provide intensive and continuous judicial supervision over delinquency and status offense cases that involve substance-abusing juveniles, and to coordinate and supervise delivery of an array of support services necessary to address the problems that contribute to juvenile involvement in the justice system.

Personal Space: Is an eight hour Saturday workshop requiring youth and their parents to participate in discussions that explore personal boundaries, effective communication, and making good choices.

Choices: Meets for four consecutive evenings (M-Th) from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm and addresses making good choices and issues associated with the use of illegal substances. Appropriate for families with any of their members struggling with these issues. 

Theft Prevention Workshop: An eight hour Saturday workshop requiring youth and their parents to participate in discussions that explore the reasons for and the consequences of stealing as well as effective communication and making good choices.

Topps: Is a Young Men’s Mentoring Group that focuses on abstinence and positive civic interaction with the community. This 13 week program is filled with life skills that young men will be introduced to every week.

Girls of Promise: Girls’ Circle is a structured support group that addresses the specialized needs of girls ages 9–18 by integrating relational–cultural theory (RCT), resiliency practices, and skills training into a specific format designed to increase positive connection, personal and collective strengths, and competence in girls. It aims to counteract social and interpersonal forces that impede girls’ growth and development and has been used since 1994 in a broad spectrum of settings with diverse female populations and programs.  

Male Leadership Retreat: The Male Leadership Retreat is for court ordered young men. This Retreat focuses on improving interpersonal skills, decision making and unlocking the leader with-in. This Retreat also introduces young men to the seven habits of highly effective people, and taking them on a discovery of their own goals and values.

Female Leadership Retreat: The Female Leadership Retreat is for court ordered young females. This Retreat focuses on improving interpersonal skills, decision making and unlocking the leader with-in. This Retreat also introduces young ladies to the seven habits of highly effective people, and taking them on a discovery of their own goals and values.

F.A.S.T. (Finding Alternatives for Safety and Treatment)

The F.A.S.T. panel is a detention review committee consisting of representatives of community agencies that include but is not limited to the Clayton Public School System, Clayton Department of Family and Children Services, Clayton Center for Behavioral Health Services, Department of Juvenile Justice, Rainbow House, Clayton District Attorney’s Office, Clayton County Public Defender's Office, private youth services agencies, as well as trained community volunteers.

The panel convenes every Monday, Wednesday an Friday morning to staff the cases of all children who have been detained in the county within the last 48 hours. The goal of the panel is to come up with possible recommendations and/or suggestions to present to the Judge, for services that exist in the community that would hopefully address the child’s needs while also maintaining the community’s safety by reducing the risk of re-offense. These alternatives to detention measures are a way to eliminate unnecessary time spent in detention while also providing the children and families with much needed resource support.

QUAD C-ST
(Clayton County Collaborative Child Study Team)

As authorized pursuant to O.C.G.A. 15.11.10 the court has established a community based risk reduction program for Clayton County that utilizes available community resources in the assessment of and intervention in cases of delinquency, deprivation, or unruliness.

The Quad C-ST acts as an early intervention program, which meets twice a month in a effort to create an “action plan” for children presented to the panel.

The panel consists of department heads, and other administrative staff from the Clayton School System, Department of Family and Children Services, Department of Juvenile Justice, Clayton Center for Behavioral Health Services.

The goal of the panel is to collaboratively address any issues that exist in the child’s life which would possibly result in further delinquent, deprived, or unruly action. In most cases there has already been frequent attempts to address said behaviors on a local or community level, and these efforts have not yielded the desired results.

JUVENILE ASSESSMENT & RISK INSTRUMENT SYSTEM (JARIS)

The Juvenile Assessment and Risk Instrument System (JARIS) was designed to provide the court with a tool to uniformly and objectively classify risk to re-offend and assess the needs of the children placed under the court’s supervision.

JARIS provides the court’s probation staff with guidance for the management of their cases.

When a child is adjudicated delinquent or unruly, his or her case is assigned to a court officer who prepares a comprehensive social history report containing information received from the child, parents/guardians, school, treatment providers, victims, police, and other community stakeholders. If the child is placed on probation or supervision by the court at disposition, the case is then transferred to a field officer who completes the JARIS and provided supervision.

JARIS components include: The Risk Classification Instrument (RCI); the Needs Assessment Instrument (NAI); the individualized Treatment Plan; the Reassessment Instrument and the Revised Treatment Plan.

The RCI is a tool used by the field officer to classify the child’s risk to re-offend; it sets the level at which the child will be supervised and monitored while on probation.

Risk Factors Assessed by the RCI include: Current offense(s); prior delinquent offense(s); number of times detained; age at first delinquent act; attitude toward authority; substance use; peer associations; leisure-time activities; family functioning; running away from home; school attendance; and school behavior.

The NAI is a tool used by the field officer to assess the needs of the child and his or her family. This information is used to construct an individualized treatment plan that will attempt to address the identified needs.

The categories of needs assessed by the NAI include: School issues; extracurricular activities; physical and mental health of the child; sexual behavior of the child; alcohol and drug involvement of the child; the family of residence; and the family of origin.

An individualized treatment plan helps direct the field officer’s efforts at treatment and rehabilitation; the system is designed to be fluid and change with significant changes in child or family’s situation. This is accomplished through periodic reassessments of the child’s risk and needs and revised treatment plans when necessary.

JARIS and its associated supervision standards help provide fair and uniform treatment for probationers.

GRADUATED SANCTIONS

When a probationer or status offender fails to comply with the conditions of probation or supervision, the probation officer will employ one or more graduated sanctions prior to filing a formal violation, unless the nature and circumstances of the violation present a situational risk. A situational risk exists when circumstances surrounding a technical violation suggest the child is a risk to himself or others, the property of others, or to abscond from the house or jurisdiction of the court.

Generally, the type of sanctions employed by the probation officer for low-level violations is within his or her discretion. Probation officers are encouraged to apply sanctions in a manner that is congruent with the seriousness of the violation, using the least restrictive sanction that is effective in resolving the violation.

Common graduated sanctions employed by CCJC Probation Officers include: Verbal and written warnings; increased reporting instructions for the juvenile; additional restrictions on the child; additional community service requirements; loss of curfew privileges and/or home confinement; reprimands by the Probation Supervisor; and Administrative Hearings.

When graduated sanctions fail to modify the child’s non-compliant behavior, the probation officer may file a formal violation or probation or supervision or petition the court to revoke the child’s probation, which will subject the child to further consequences that could include restrictive custody.