The Judiciary Committee heard testimony March 7 on a bill that would eliminate the Office of Juvenile Services and would close the youth rehabilitation and treatment centers (YRTCs) located in Kearney and Geneva by Jan. 1, 2015.<\/p>\n
LB561, introduced by Omaha Sen. Brad Ashford, would create the Office of Juvenile Assistance that would include juvenile probation services, diversion programs, detention alternatives and aid assistance for community-based services. Providers of such services would qualify for social impact bonds to finance approved projects and the Legislature would appropriate $10 million to fund community-based assistance programs.<\/p>\n
Under the bill, the Office of Juvenile Assistance would implement a statewide project that would:
\n\u2022 collaborate with the courts, juveniles justice entities and providers to treat and rehabilitate juveniles rather than detain them;
\n\u2022 establish standardized guidelines for referrals and treatment based on a juvenile\u2019s needs rather than the availability of services;
\n\u2022 provide community-based services to keep juveniles in their homes, schools and communities;
\n\u2022 provide transition treatment programming for juveniles who are placed outside the home and their families to assist with reintegration into their communities;
\n\u2022 promote the use of telehealth services for juvenile behavioral health; and
\n\u2022 provide a standardized instrument to screen for mental health, trauma, education, treatment history, family resources and risk factors to be utilized when a juvenile initially enters the system. Such information would be tracked electronically by the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and used throughout the juvenile\u2019s treatment and rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
Ashford said Nebraska has the third highest youth incarceration rate in the nation. The current system is inadequate and is failing the state\u2019s children and communities, he said, so the bill would reform the state\u2019s juvenile justice system to treat and rehabilitate at-risk children rather than punish them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to move forward with substantial reform towards a treatment-based system from an overly involved court system and utilize evidence-based practices to keep children out of the juvenile justice system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Eleventh Judicial District County Court Judge Kent Turnbull testified in support of the bill, saying that YRTC admission criteria is unclear and inconsistently applied throughout the state.<\/p>\n
Seventy percent of the YRTC\u2019s offenders are considered low-risk and should not be housed with high-risk offenders, he said, but because the state\u2019s smaller towns lack community-based services, the YRTCs sometimes are the only option.<\/p>\n
Thomas Pristow, director of DHHS Children and Family Services, testified in support of the bill. Creating community-based services would be less intrusive and restrictive for juveniles, he said, which would better meet juveniles\u2019 needs and alleviate stress on the current system.<\/p>\n
Anne Hobbs, director of the University of Nebraska at Omaha Juvenile Justice Institute, also testified in support of the bill, saying it would provide statewide youth equal access to diversion programs and prevent them from becoming state wards. Only about half of Nebraska counties currently offer a diversion program, she said, so many convicted juveniles are prosecuted in adult courts and have an adult criminal record as a result.<\/p>\n
Much of the opposition to the bill was focused on the closing of the YRTCs.<\/p>\n
Araceli Morales, who was housed at the Geneva YRTC from 1999 to 2003, testified in opposition to the bill, and said the community-based services she received prior to being placed at the YRTC were ineffective. The center provides necessary counseling and treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, she said, and closing it would be a mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Geneva [YRTC] was my lifesaving place,\u201d Morales said. \u201cWithout it, I would have ended up dead or in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nancy Lyon, a Kearney YRTC employee, testified in opposition to the bill, saying families and schools sometimes contribute to a juvenile\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we do is we stabilize them,\u201d she said. \u201cWe eliminate the clutter out of their lives so they can work on their issues and take them out of their comfort zone, which allows them to work on personal growth and change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hall County Attorney Mark Young also testified in opposition to the bill, saying it would make counties financially responsible for youth services. County attorneys and judges may avoid necessary youth treatment due to the costs of such programs, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we want a uniform system, then we need to make sure there are uniform services available everywhere,\u201d Young said. \u201cIt is really important to have a clear plan in the bill that outlines how services will be funded to make sure there is reasonable access to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The committee took no immediate action on the bill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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