The Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court has been awarded approximately $30 million to establish a community correctional facility (CCF) for juveniles who are found delinquent of felony-level offenses.

The Ohio Department of Youth Services awarded the funding to the juvenile court for a 32-bed CCF, which will serve male and female youths. Currently, there are 11 CCFs for juveniles in Ohio. However, none are in Cuyahoga County. Their location in other counties places a burden on family and community members from Cuyahoga County when visiting and taking part in treatment or in planning for when a juvenile leaves the CCF and returns home. Family and community involvement is crucial to the juveniles for both achieving better outcomes after they leave the facility and reducing the likelihood that they will reoffend.

In addition, 70% of Cuyahoga County referrals of youths to out-of-county CCFs are rejected due to strict admission criteria, such as prohibitions on accepting juveniles with violent histories or behavioral issues. Establishing a CCF locally will allow Cuyahoga County to design a facility to meet the unique needs of youths from the community, said Court Administrator Timothy McDevitt.

“A CCF in Cuyahoga County will allow us to keep youth close to home for family visits and community partner participation,” McDevitt said. “Additionally, safe reentry planning is more successful when mentoring, therapy, and programs begin before release. This is extremely difficult to do when young people are placed far from their homes. Our local CCF will engage community partners from the very beginning of the youth’s treatment in the facility, so that they are ready and supported when it is time for release.”

The programming will be designed to help young people return home with the resources for productive lives. They will step back into their community with stronger social ties, meaningful family therapy, and mentors to help them navigate the reentry process successfully, McDevitt said.

McDevitt also noted that many juveniles who enter the legal system are victims of trauma and violence. The CCF will be structured to address the root causes of violence with a focus on trauma-informed care; curbing gun violence by addressing economic challenges; and building meaningful, positive connections with adults.

The funding opportunity arose after the Juvenile Justice Working Group was convened by Gov. Mike DeWine to conduct a thorough review of juvenile justice issues in Ohio. The working group recommended that the Department of Youth Services fund CCFs for juveniles in Ohio’s three largest counties. Cuyahoga County was part of a competitive bidding process with Hamilton and Franklin counties. This year, funding was awarded to Cuyahoga County.

Community partners, including small grassroots organizations and behavioral health and trauma experts, participated in the proposal process and will continue to be engaged in the planning and design of the program, the court noted.