Parent organization: St. Joseph Probate Court, Hon. Peter J. Nemeth, Judge (http://users.michiana.org/probate/)
Executive Director: Bill Bruinsma, Psy. D., HSPP
Transportation: Public transit at the door
Accessibility: Special parking, fully accessible
Description: Each year approximately 4,000 children are referred to the Probation Department of the Probate Court. Many are put on informal probation; some are referred to other agencies for help, and some may be placed in detention and required to appear in court. In 2004, there were about 1,300 children on probation at any given time in St. Joseph County.
The Juvenile Justice Center is a multi faceted
facility which houses a variety of agencies that interact with the St.
Joseph Probate Court, i.e., Juvenile & Probate Clerk, Juvenile
Probation, Juvenile Detention, Child Protective Services Division of
the St. Joseph County Office of Family and Children, CASA (Court
Appointed Special Advocate), Prosecutor, Public Defender, Juvenile
Justice Residential Program operated by Madison Center, Day Reporting,
Central Academy and Mentoring Services.
The staff of the St. Joseph Probate Court take pride in serving the needs of the citizens of St. Joseph County. The following summary provides basic information on the services provided by the court that are dedicated to protecting the safety of the community and to helping juveniles and their family be successful in their lives:
(1) ST. JOSEPH PROBATE COURT - handles all juvenile cases in the County concerning delinquency, abuse, neglect, dependency, adoptions and the establishment of paternity. The Court also has jurisdiction over wills, estates, and guardianships. Upon establishment of paternity, both parents are ordered to attend an educational class about parenting and support.
(2) ST. JOSEPH PROBATE CLERK - serves as Clerk of the Juvenile and Probate Court for filing cases, and maintains the records of the Court. The Clerk also collects support payments.
(3) PROBATION - the Intake Team receives referrals from police agencies, parents, and schools. After an intake screening called a Preliminary Inquiry the officer recommends an appropriate course of action. The Supervision Team prepares a social history report called a pre-dispositional report on adjudicated offenders and makes recommendations to the court. Juveniles placed on Probation are supervised by this team.
(4) JUVENILE DETENTION - provides both pre and post adjudication detention for
persons under age 18 subject to the jurisdiction of the Court.
Juveniles detained undergo a routine medical and mental health
assessment and the appropriate treatment. The facility operates
on a level system. While in detention, a
child will usually sleep in an
individual cell, attend school, participate in activities, and
practice the values of respecting others, fulfilling responsibilities,
and showing tolerance and acceptance of others. The daily routine includes education, physical exercise and
treatment. Detainees are also offered tutoring, religious
services and can request to speak with the facility chaplain or a
religious leader from another faith based organization. Parents may visit with their child and talk to their child
on the phone once a week. Children can earn one
extra visit and phone call each
week by behaving well and achieving a higher level within the value
based behavior management system. Visits are
restricted to parents, guardians, grandparents, attorneys, counselors
and clergy.
If the court determines that a child has committed
an
act which would be a crime if committed by an adult, or committed an
act of runaway or truancy, the court may order the child to spend some
time in detention. Rules are very strict in detention so that all
children may be kept safe and can begin to change their behavior.
Professionals evaluate each child's physical and mental health. (Hours:
24
hours per day operations; Application procedure: must be
referred; Fees: user fees are assessed on parents of Juveniles
committed to detention as part of their disposition.)
(5) CHILD
PROTECTIVE SERVICES DIVISION - Indiana's
Child Protective Services (CPS:
http://www.in.gov/fssa/families/protection/dfcchi.html),
protects Indiana's children from further abuse or neglect and prevents,
remedies, or assists in solving problems that may result in abuse,
neglect, exploitation, or delinquency of children. CPS operates a toll-free
hotline (1-800-800-5556) for people to call and report suspected
cases of child abuse or neglect. Although reports can be made in person
or by correspondence, the vast majority of child abuse and neglect
reports are made by telephone. CPS receives and initiates
investigations of abuse reports on a 24-hour basis. Investigations
of abuse or neglect may be substantiated or unsubstantiated. The
child's safety is the primary factor in all CPS investigations.
Families receive services based on the severity of the abuse or
neglect, an assessment of the child's and the family's needs, and an
assessment of the relative safety and risk to the child in the home.
For additional information refer to our Local
Office Strategies For Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention
For
more information on what constitutes child maltreatment, visit the National Clearinghouse on Child
Abuse and Neglect Information For information on Shaken Baby Syndrome, visit their
website. The Family Preservation Program carries out the
Bureau's goals to prevent unnecessary separation of children from their
families by identifying family problems and assisting families in
resolving them.
(6) JUVENILE SUPPORT SERVICES - the Court offers a
variety of
programs to families and the community.
CENTRAL ACADEMY |
A
court school created by Judge Peter J. Nemeth is operated
by the Friends of the Juvenile Justice Center
(an Indiana not
for profit 501(c)(3) organization) for students who have been either
expelled, suspended, truant or at high risk of not completing
school. All students must be on probation and are court ordered
to
attend the school.
Court supervised parental involvement is also required. The
Central
Academy is a court school created by Judge Peter J. Nemeth. All
children who attend the Academy must be on probation and “court
ordered” to attend. The Academy offers accelerated classes for a GED,
7th, 8th, 9th grade students, specialized tutoring and hands on
learning. |
| COMMUNITY SERVICE | Court ordered work performed by juveniles for a nonprofit agency or governmental agencies. |
DAY REPORTING |
Part of the continuum of services provided by the Court. Offenders released from residential care will report after school and on weekends. Also some juveniles who would benefit from this structured program may be placed in the program to avoid residential placement. Family counseling and a multifamily group are part of the program requirements. (Hours: 1-9 p.m. every day; Fees: $25.00 per week) |
| MENTORS | Matching of adjudicated offenders with a family or individual for a period of a year. |
| PARENTING YOUR OUT OF CONTROL TEENAGER | A structured multi family psycho-educational group for parents wanting to work to restore their relationship with their teenager. Parents/guardians and teenagers attend this group for 2 hours once a week in the evening for 6 weeks. |
| SHOPLIFTING DETERRENT CLINIC | A single 2 hour
program to deter first time offender
shoplifters. |
SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAM |
COSAT, a Court
Ordered Substance Abuse Treatment Program is a program for
children who need
treatment for alcohol or drugs. If an assessment by a
professional determines that a child needs
treatment for alcohol or drugs, the child may be ordered to
attend COSAT classes provided by a local mental health agency.
The COSAT program is a 12 week program that meets twice a week.
Parents are required to participate in group therapy with their child
once a week. A child may be ordered to continue in an “after care
program” for an additional 3 months. Through group therapy and
student
reflection, COSAT instructors teach the personal consequences of
abusing drugs and alcohol. While the cost to each family for the
program is $120.00, the local Office of Family and Children also pays a
portion of the expense of providing the COSAT program . For more
information please call: 574-235-5406. Under some circumstances
the
court's drug screening laboratory located in the Juvenile Justice
Center will provide urine drug screening for children on a walk-in
basis. Parents
must sign a contract and the results will be released only to
parents. (Drug Screen Fee: $25 (cash only)) |
(8) JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAM - operated by Madison Center, Inc. (http://www.madison.org/) in a contractual arrangement with the Court; juveniles are placed in the program transitioning back from a long term residential placement or before a long term placement is used. Emphasis is on parental involvement and juvenile accountability.
The Juvenile Justice Center is always in need of
volunteers to mentor a child, assist in tutoring detainees in
detention, or to provide the appropriate religious services to
detainees while in detention. In addition a limited number
of practicum experiences for students is also provided in
the Mental Health, Day Reporting and Probation Departments.
Please contact Mr. George Kuta, Coordinator of Human Resources if you
are interested in volunteering or wanting to be considered for a practicum
experience. Mr. Kuta can be reached at 574-235-5335.
Updated 03/15/2005
