|
Click
here for a printable version of this page
In the past, decisions
about case management have often been decided by the individual
probation officer, and thus could vary significantly between
workers in different probation units in the same system. Structured
Decision Making (SDM) is a philosophy of case management that
provides youth and families with consistent guidelines for court
supervision. It is designed to provide immediate responses to
both positive and negative behavior. A youth who is under supervision
at North County Probations Services Unit and moves to East County
Probation Services Unit will have the same method of supervision,
accountability and responses to behavior. This enables the youth
and families to better understand the system and be able to
rely on consistent, predictable responses from probation staff.
SDM follows The Balanced
Approach to juvenile justice which incorporates:
- Competency Development
– concerns developing the youth’s ability to become a capable
member of the community by building up skills, knowledge and
abilities.
- Accountability
– concerns the youth learning his/her obligation to the victim(s)
and the community and taking responsibility for the offense.
- Community Safety-
concerns the youth’s responsibility to change his/her behavior
and not re-offend, thus making the community safer.
There have been six
SDM Project Teams working during the past year to modify and/or
create new products to enhance the Court’s Case Management System.
They are:
Needs
Assessment
Service
Plan
Level
of Supervision
Graduated
Responses
Social
History
Disposition
Matrix
The Needs Assessment
is a non-diagnostic screening tool that provides the probation
officer with a broad picture of the needs of a youth and his/her
family. These identified needs will be addressed by incorporating
them into the court recommendations for disposition and Service
Plan if the youth is placed on court supervision.
In determining the
Level of Supervision, the probation officer uses
the VA Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Risk Assessment
tool to determine the youth’s risk to re-offend and the concurrent
risk to the community – that being high, moderate or low risk.
Once the level of risk is determined, the Level of Supervision
chart directs the standards of supervision: how often and in
what format (face to face, by telephone, etc.) a youth and family
are seen each month by the probation officer. It also provides
standards to see youth in local residential facilities as well
as out of jurisdiction residential placements.
The Service
Plan incorporates the client’s level of risk to re-offend
and the client’s needs (on Needs Assessment) using the Balanced
Approach, which addresses: 1) Community Protection, 2) Personal
Accountability and 3) Competency Development. Each of these
Areas contains a Goal, a Strategy for accomplishing the Goal,
an Objective and a method of Measurement. Areas of high need
from the Needs Assessment are incorporated into the Service
Plan’s competency development area.
Graduated Responses
involve applying an immediate and consistent range of responses
to both positive and negative behavior. Responses to negative
behavior are called sanctions and is determined using a grid
incorporating Risk Level and Violation Seriousness Level. The
responses to a negative behavior can range from an admonishment
by the probation officer to curfew restriction, office sitting,
house arrest or probation violation and detention order. The
responses for positive behavior, called incentives, range from
verbal praise, praise letter, certificates, participation in
a previously restricted extracurricular activity to closing
probation early. These responses are determined by months on
probation and level of risk. For example, the first three months
of probation would not allow for closing probation early, but
would allow for verbal praise and a certificate. In months four
through six an incentive might include attendance at a special
event; at the seven to nine month stage, early closing of probation
might be an option. Graduated Responses are designed to reinforce
the youth’s ability to maintain consistent positive behavior.
The Social History
is a comprehensive report written for all youth placed on probation,
or cases where the court orders a pre-dispositional report.
The content is driven by Department of Juvenile Justice standards
and the report provides all pertinent background on the youth
and family. In the SDM framework, the Social History incorporates
the information from the Risk Assessment, Needs Assessment,
Levels of Supervision and Dispositional Matrix, when appropriate.
This information is provided in the summary of the social history
to establish a Service Plan or in the recommendation for court
disposition in the pre-dispositional report.
The Disposition
Matrix was designed to provide court personnel with
a useful tool in formulating recommendations for dispositions
in a consistent, effective, and appropriate manner. The disposition
matrix is based on the Balanced Approach, and takes into consideration
personal accountability, competency development, and community
protection in determining dispositions. Probation staff must
consider the seriousness of the offense including the juvenile’s
past record, risk level, and the need for services. The philosophy
of this Court Service Unit is to recommend intervention in the
least-restrictive environment to meet the goals of the Balanced
Approach.
The matrix addresses
dispositions available to the court based on levels established
by the presenting offense(s); Child In Need of Supervision (CHINS),
Non-Committable, and Committable (to the VA Department of Juvenile
Justice.) The disposition matrix adheres to a graduated response
philosophy in determining disposition alternatives. Prior to
using the disposition matrix, probation staff must have current
versions of the risk assessment and the needs assessment. Recommendations
will be based on the subject’s record and the severity of the
offenses, the risk level, and may be modified by the extent
of needs. These considerations determine what dispositions
will be available for the case. Whenever a charge is reduced
or amended, the probation officer shall use the modified charge
for identifying disposition options. The probation officer’s
knowledge of the youth, his/her individual circumstances, and
the background of the family will continue to play an important
part in arriving at a disposition.
The disposition matrix
is intended to be used in all instances where the Probation
and Parole Officers of this court will be expected to offer
recommendations to the Court. This will typically include pre-disposition
cases, cases where an Investigation and Report is ordered, probation
and parole cases with new charges, and Violation of Probation/Parole
cases. It will also be used by the Inter-Disciplinary Team
(IDT) and the Court’s Diagnostic Team.
The disposition matrix
for the three levels of presenting offense(s) is below.
*Probation length based on program needs
*Probation length based on program needs
*Probation up to indefinite
|
