Ventura County

JUVENILE SERVICES

COURT SERVICES

The Juvenile Intake unit screens all minors referred by law enforcement agencies and decides whether cases should be referred for formal Court action, handled informally or referred to Youth Services. Youth Services focuses on primary prevention, delinquency prevention and diversion activities. The Juvenile Investigation unit prepares reports that include a recommendation as to an appropriate disposition or whether a minor should be found fit for handling as a juvenile. The Repeat Offender Prevention Program is an intensive, comprehensive multi-disciplinary program that provides services for 100 first-time wards, who are 15.5 years or younger and who demonstrate at least three of the four risk factors relating to difficulties with family, school, substance abuse and pre-delinquent behaviors. The Aftercare Day Reporting Program helps youth, ages 14 to 18, transition into the community following their release from a custody facility or residential placement. Officers in this unit provide intensive supervision when youth are first released, and over the course of the 4 to 6 month program, supervision is gradually reduced. Officers work with community-based service providers to provide support in the area of lifeskills, parenting programs, substance abuse treatment and linkages to education/vocational resources.

FIELD SERVICES

The Intensive Supervision Services-Juvenile unit supervises juvenile's offenders who pose the highest risk to the community. Officers in this unit are armed and they provide a high level of supervision, surveillance and testing to relatively small caseloads. The Juvenile Supervision Services unit handles all other juvenile cases in the west portion of the County. Officers work in conjunction with schools and community resources to provide services for minors and their families. Officers in this unit also intensively monitor and test juveniles involved in the Juvenile Drug Court program. The East County Juvenile Services unit handles all juvenile cases in the east portion of the County. Caseloads range from maximum to minimum supervision and officers work in conjunction with schools and community resources to provide services for minors and their families.