Office of Sen.

Mike Johnston
Colorado General Assembly | 200 E. Colfax Avenue | Denver, CO 80203 | 303.866.4864

FACT SHEET MEMORANDUM

SB 12-099 Expand Access of Services to Academic Model Juvenile Facility Sen. Spence & Rep. Todd Staff Name: Quinn Girrens What the Bill Does: The bill specifies that the Department of Health Services (DHS) will contract with a private provider who will operate the Ridge View Youth Services Center for housing juveniles currently in the custody of the Department of Human Services, the temporary custody of a county Department of Social Services, or juveniles needing an out-of-home placement. The bill revises a statute that was enacted in 1997 General Assembly Session.1 Colorado Context: The Division of Youth Corrections (DYC) provides a continuum of residential and non-residential services that encompass juvenile detention, commitment and parole.2 The DYC agency provides care and supervision of youth committed by the District Court to the custody of the DHS.3 DYC operates eleven secure facilities that serve youth between the ages of 10 and 21, who are pre-adjudicated, sentenced, or committed.4 The Ridge View Youth Services Center focuses on development of skills, competencies, and relationships to that lead to healthy adults. As a national model flagship, Ridge View exemplifies a public-private partnership that has integrated research with programming. Over the past 10 years 376 students received high school diplomas, more than 1,183 students earned GEDs and over 860 students have transitioned back into the public school system.5 Resembling a high school in every way, the $42 million Ridge View Youth Services Center fosters a student culture, not a prison culture.6 The Center provides a high staff to student ratio as part of its focus to minimize violent behavior and reduce recidivism.7 Currently, DHS offers 41 contractor-based youth facilities throughout the state.8 These homes range in treating juveniles who have sexual abuse history, criminal convictions, teen mothers, or need mental medical assistance.9
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C.R.S. 19-2-411.5 See http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDHS-ChildYouthFam/CBON/1251580877620 3 Id. 4 Id. 5 See http://www.ridgeviewacademy.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_1004218/File/RVA_Summer_2011.pdf 6 See http://correctionalnews.com/articles/2005/12/8/students-not-wards 7 Id. 8 See http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDHS-ChildYouthFam/CBON/1251582364503

DRAFT 2/5/2012 10:18 AM

For a complete list of fact sheets, visit www.mikejohnston.org/in-the-legislature.

National Context: In New Mexico, juvenile homes are run by the state and counties where the homes are located are in charge of supervising the facility through the counties board of commissioners.10 In Oklahoma, the Office of Juvenile Affairs maintains juvenile placement.11 The Office allows for contractor agencies to maintain private juvenile homes, and the responsibility of the placement of the juveniles remains in the control of the Board of Commissioners for that particular county.12 In Utah, the Department of Human Services, Juvenile Justice Services, provides both detention facilities and a 45-day residential program for delinquent youth placed in the custody of JJS for evaluation, assessment, and treatment planning.13 In addition, the state agency provides community rehabilitation treatments with the goal to move youth progressively to less structured placements, as determined by youth behavior, until the youth can be safely released to the community.14 No information is provided regarding non-state contractor agencies who provide community residential services for juveniles.15 Bill Provisions: The Center holds 500 beds and follows an academic model (educational, vocational, and positive developmental training) designed to reduce recidivism, and in addition, provides services and programs comparable to other state juvenile facilities. The bill requires that this contractor work with the DHS to develop and maintain this academic model. The Center campus is located at the former Lowry bombing range and is owned by the state. In choosing the contractor, the executive director of DHS will select the lowest responsible bid by the most qualified contractor. The DHS will specify and retain the responsibilities of housing the juveniles and the contractor will execute these responsibilities. The recidivism rate of committed juveniles in the program will be calculated by DHS on an annual basis and reported to the General Assembly. The calculation will include any juvenile who commits a criminal offense (either as a juvenile or an adult) within three years of leaving the facility. Fiscal Impact: There is currently no fiscal note for SB 12-099.

Id. N.M.S.A. 33-6-5 11 Okl.St.Ann. 2-3-103 12 Id. 13 See http://www.jjs.utah.gov/observe-assess.htm 14 See http://www.jjs.utah.gov/community.htm 15 Id.
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DRAFT 2/5/2012 10:18 AM

For a complete list of fact sheets, visit www.mikejohnston.org/in-the-legislature.