11150 Ave 368 Visalia, Ca 93291 (559) 735-1400 The Tulare County Probation Youth Facility is a modified “Boot Camp” style program that uses a cognitive behavioral approach in attempting to habilitate juveniles placed into the 365-day program by the Tulare County Juvenile Trial Court. While maintaining components of a military style boot camp, the Youth Facility Program recognizes that military-styled boot camps, with traditional shock-incarceration, enjoy only a 30 to 40 percent success rate. Therefore, the Youth Facility uses the military component for discipline and order, engendering teamwork, while using various programming components to effect cognitive changes, which lead to positive behavioral changes. The minimum stay in the Youth Facility residential phase of the program is four months, with the average stay being approximately five months. Upon successful exit from the residential phase, Cadets must complete Aftercare, which requires 90 good days (good days being ones without any major violations or undue accumulation of minor violations of the rules), with the average stay in the Aftercare phase being approximately 4 months. As part of the program approved by the Court the two Probation Officers assigned to the Aftercare component of the program may return any Aftercare Cadet to the residential component of the program, who they determine is in violation of the Tulare County Probation Youth Facility rules or has committed minor infractions of the Terms and Conditions of Probation while on Aftercare. The implementation of the 365-day program, wherein minors committed to the Youth Facility Program receive custody credit for time spent in the Aftercare portion of the program, came online in 2001. In May and June 2001, the first Cadets found in violation of Youth Facility rules were returned to the residential phase of the Youth Facility Program for 3, 30, or 90 days. This ability to return Aftercare Cadets to the residential phase of the program for selected rule violations, without a return to Court, has contributed greatly to the current success of the Youth Facility. The cognitive behavioral approach, which seeks to change young offenders’ antisocial thinking, is greatly enhanced with the imposition of immediate sanctions. This helps the cadet’s chances of making the needed cognitive changes to move to a more pro-social outlook. The operation of the Youth Facility Program is a collaborative effort involving Probation, Health and Human Services, and Tulare County Office of Education staff. This collaboration ensures Cadets committed to the program receive full school services, including a half-day school program on Saturday, access to on-site Mental Health Therapists, Alcohol and Drug Specialists, and dedication from the Probation staff in consistently and effectively delivering the various programming components daily. 2002 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award In June 2002, the Tulare County Probation Youth Facility was awarded the 2002 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award for their successful programming. NACo stated the Tulare County Probation Youth Facility Program has “high caliber, effective and creative programming.” In November 2002, the Youth Facility received a Members Resolution Proclamation from the California State Legislature. The Members Resolution, RN 0256329, commends the Youth Facility for our National NACo Achievement Award and the Youth Facility’s effective and successful programming, along with staff’s diligent hard work for the community of Tulare County. The proclamation was presented to Chief Probation Officer Janet Honadle from 29th Assemblyman Mike Briggs. Another 18 beds are dedicated to short-term commitments for boys and girls in need of drug & alcohol treatment. This includes an intensive school program, therapy, and directed activities for a 60 to 90 day period of time. Aftercare: The Tulare County Probation Youth Facility Program, with its cognitive behavioral approach and integrated Aftercare Program, meets the criteria set by studies conducted under the auspices of the National Institute of Corrections for being the most effective in habilitating offenders. The Youth Facility Aftercare program has an agenda of diverse intervention strategies. The Youth Facility Aftercare Program structure comes through intensive supervision, as Aftercare Officers’ minimum caseload standards include: three face-to-face contacts with Cadets per month; one probationer search per month; and two drug screens per month. Additionally, Aftercare Officers check on school and counseling attendance, along with behavior issues, both at home and at school. Accountability is supplied by a schedule of graduated sanctions that include a return to the Residential Program for 3, 30, 60, or 90 days, for violations of the Terms and Conditions of Probation and the rules and regulations of the Aftercare Program. This quick return to Program has been instrumental in getting more Cadets through the difficult transition from a very controlled environment, to the much less controlled environment of home. Aftercare Program Officers recognize that anti-social behavior does not always occur during normal business hours, and workdays featuring special hours of operation are conducted to maintain the structure and accountability needed for a successful program. Aftercare Program Officers also research target populations by working with Mental Health Juvenile Forensic staff to understand minor’s alcohol and drug use history, family structure and unification, and multiple classification procedures gauged to address the challenges minors face. This insures that probationers do not have a safe haven for anti-social behavior, reinforcing the positive lesson learned in the Youth Facility Residential Program. In Fiscal Year 2002 / 2003, Aftercare, or the “Ember Program,” was approved by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors and the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council to be added to the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act’s Comprehensive Multi-Agency Juvenile Justice Plan. The goal was to build upon the strengths of the current system by linking the Ember (Aftercare) Program and Thunderbolt Programs, which are primary diversion / incapacitation tools of the Probation Department. Youth Treatment Center Unit (YTCU): The Youth Facility also houses a separate, non-military Youth Treatment Center Unit, which opened at the Youth Facility on June 1, 2004. The Youth Treatment Center Unit (YTCU) was established to meet the need articulated by the Juvenile Court for minors in need of short term intervention in specific areas of substance abuse and issues related to social interaction, in such areas as family or school life. This 60 – 90 day program provides an option for males / females, aged 14 to 17 years, to work through issues in a controlled environment that can be addressed in a short – term format. The minors received skills and education through a variety of program components, such as, Drug and Alcohol education, Gang Awareness, Social Thinking Skills. Court Schooling, Corrective Thinking, and CHARACTER COUNTS! ©. Training: The Youth Facility conducts various training for Probation employees. In addition to state mandated CORE training, Probation Correctional Officers attend on site training that focuses on facility policy and procedures along with compliance issues.