"Nassau County - Long Island, New York"

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano has announced that the Department of Probation will be implementing a number of new initiatives designed to improve and reform Nassau County’s juvenile justice system, focusing on high-risk offenders under the age of 16 and based on recommendations made by the Nassau County Juvenile Justice Reform Task Force. Each of these initiatives will be funded by $729,000 in grants from New York State and will focus on Enhanced Diversion Services, Improved Supervision Outcomes, and Alternatives to Residential Placement.

“These efforts will not only save Nassau County taxpayers’ money, but will also give our highest-risk juveniles the resources they need in order to lead successful lives,” said County Executive Mangano. “I thank the Department of Probation for their work in securing this important funding and establishing these innovative programs.”

In 2010, roughly 750 youth under the age of 16 were arrested in Nassau County, and it is expected that approximately 700 will have been arrested by the end of 2011. Roughly 80% of these juveniles will be released to their families and referred for services through Family Probation Intake, which in New York State serves as the "gatekeeper" for the Family Court. Last year, just over half of these youth were successfully diverted from any court contact and their records sealed. However, most of the remaining offenders were either placed on probation or placed in a residential facility, some at a cost of nearly $300,000 per year. Typically, 85% of the juveniles who are residentially placed will sustain a criminal arrest within three years. The impact on both the individual and the community is profound.

After a highly competitive state-wide application process, Nassau County has received a $237,000 grant to fund alternatives to detention. The funding will provide four “respite beds” in a group home for youths who are arrested as juvenile delinquents and admitted to Nassau's Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) in Westbury; many because they cannot immediately go home due to a history of family violence or an arrest for family violence. In 2010, of the 750 juveniles arrested in Nassau, just over 150 were admitted to the JDC. Once a detained youth is released to the respite group home, community-based organizations partnering with Nassau County will provide intensive services to offenders and their families. The Juvenile Delinquency charges will be handled by Probation Intake, where, if the diversion is successful, the case will be sealed. The intent is to provide the offender as many appropriate services as soon as possible before the offender further enters the system. The grant will also underwrite expanding the hours of Intake operation to work with the juveniles and their families when they are available, and not just during traditional business hours.

The New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is also providing $209,000 in funding for the Nassau County Probation Department’s Juvenile Risk Intervention Services Coordination program, which will blend intensive supervision and evidence-based programming for the highest-risk juveniles under probation supervision for the Family Court.

Another initiative, supported by a $25,000 DCJS grant, is “Night Lite", which also focuses on juvenile delinquents under court supervision. Nassau County Probation Department personnel will work closely with school officials to identify truant juvenile delinquents. Once identified, the homes of these offenders will be visited during evenings and weekends, when offenders’ families are most likely to be home. The program focuses on engaging families as a resource, and given the link between truancy and substance abuse, field toxicology tests will be administered, per probation conditions, as well as person and property searches as authorized. This collaborative effort will send a message to juveniles on probation that school attendance is important and that non-attendance carries consequences.

In addition to the DCJS funding, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services is awarding Nassau County $258,000 through the Supervision and Treatment Services for Juveniles Program. This will fund additional respite beds and related services for children with mental health issues, a particularly challenging population. Approximately 15% of this funding will also support electronic monitoring by the Probation Department as an alternative to detention and residential placement. The goal is to further reduce reliance on secure detention at JDC. Following a Task Force analysis of census trends at the Juvenile Detention Center, effective June 1, 2011 the certified bed space at the facility was reduced from 32 to sixteen. This resulted in a reduction of 13 full time and six part time positions, producing an annual savings for the taxpayer of approximately one million dollars.

Formed in April of 2011, the Nassau County Juvenile Justice Task Force, with Probation as the lead agency, includes representatives from the County Executive’s Office, Judiciary, Office of Court Administration, District Attorney, Police Department, Department of Social Services, Human Services, Youth Board, and a number of community-based organizations. The Task Force also collaborates with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, Office of Children and Family Services, Vera Institute of Justice and the Center for Court Innovation. Their first recommendation, based on declining secure detention admissions at the County’s Juvenile Detention Center, was to reduce the number of certifiedbeds at the JDC from 32 to 16, beginning on June 1, 2011, saving taxpayers approximately one million dollars annually.

Mangano Announces Juvenile Justice Reforms In Nassau County