JJC AWARDS MERCER COUNTY $448,925 GRANT
- County to Offer New Program for Juveniles -

TRENTON - The Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) today announced that Mercer County will receive a $448,925 grant to establish a comprehensive "Day Reporting Program" that includes a "Weekend Detention" component for adolescent juvenile offenders who would otherwise have been placed in the custody of the Juvenile Justice Commission due to a lack of judicial disposition options.

"The Juvenile Justice Commission is committed to working with New Jersey's counties to provide services for at-risk juveniles," stated Bruce D. Stout, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Juvenile Justice Commission. "Our philosophy is that local communities have a unique understanding of their youth populations. This has led the JJC to develop several initiatives to encourage a continuum of county and community-based services and sanctions. Mercer County's new program will give courts an additional option that will allow Mercer County youth to be placed in a program designed to turn their lives around before it is too late."

The JJC's newly established Division of Local Programs and Services provides funding for the Mercer County program through the State Incentive Program (SIP). The SIP works with counties to develop and fund specific programs targeted at their individual community needs. Annually, the State Incentive Program administers $5.4 million in local funding. This year, the Juvenile Justice Commission will award more than $20 million through various sources of funding to implement a continuum of community-based services and sanctions for at risk and court involved youth.

"This grant will allow Mercer County to establish an innovative program to address the needs of county's youth offenders," said Mercer County Executive Robert D. Prunetti. " I want to acknowledge and thank the Mercer County Division of Youth Services for their creativity and dedication which allowed us to obtain this grant. Their continuing efforts to change the behavior of juvenile offenders is working to make Mercer County a safer place to live."

While Mercer County's grant has been approved by the JJC, the majority of the grant funds must be appropriated by the State legislature for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

According to Janet Rosenzweig, Ph.D., Director of the Mercer County Department of Human Services this program will fill a gap in services. "Mercer County government has developed a strong partnership with the Family Court which has led to the establishment of the Mercer House shelter and the county's state of the art detention center. Partnering with the State on this initiative gives our judge one more option in crafting a plan to get youth back on track."

The Weekend Detention Program is designed for male youth between the ages of 14-18. The program will consist of intense case management, community service, mental health and vocational counseling, life skills training, intensive supervision, community service, cultural enrichment and family involvement. Program candidates will be screened for appropriateness and presented to the Family Court Judge who decides the final disposition.

"There is a growing need throughout the State of New Jersey for placement options for juveniles identified as strong candidates for improvement and rehabilitation who do not require incarceration," said Stout. "This program will help fill that gap."

The three-phase program can accommodate 12 youth annually and is designed to become less restrictive as the juveniles obtain the necessary tools to become independent. During the first eight weeks, juveniles will report every weekend to the Mercer County Detention Center where they will receive intense programming and counseling which continues throughout the week from their homes. Phase II and III will continue programming from the juveniles' homes while integrating them back into the community. For phase I and II, juveniles are required to wear a global monitoring units which can detect their exact location whenever they leave their homes. During phase III, juveniles will be connected to an electronic monitoring unit using the ankle bracelet system.

"This is an exciting opportunity for Mercer County to develop a program that assesses the juvenile from a holistic perspective. As a result, we have the ability to specifically design the services for that juvenile in an effort to generate the best possible outcomes," said Roxanne McElroy-White, Chief, Mercer County Division of Youth Services.

Mercer County will be the administrator of the program and will contract for services with agencies that qualify under state and county guidelines. All qualified agencies will be required to document their program organization, staff personnel qualifications and ability to provide bilingual services. A written plan with measurable outcomes is also required.

For more information on the JJC, please visit www.njjjc.com