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Juvenile Services
Intake
Probation Services
Specialized Services
Residential Services
Educational Programs
Adult Services
Intake
Mediation
Home Study
Investigations
Probation
Administrative Services
Volunteer Program
Volunteer Interpreter Program
Victim's Services Program
Restitution Services
Other Court-Related Programs
Juvenile Drug Court
Juvenile Traffic School
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program
Victim Assistance Network
Fairfax County Women's Shelter
ADAPT Program
Volunteer Learning Program
Juvenile Intake handles all juvenile
delinquency complaints and petitions concerning children in
need of services; children in need of supervision; status offenders;
abused or neglected children (petitions filed by Department
of Family Services); and commitment of mentally ill adults and
children.
Hours of operation for Central Intake
Services are from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (General public) Monday
through Friday (8:00 a.m. through midnight for police). North
County, South County, and East County Intake Services are open
from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Extended
hours, midnight to 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, 24 hours
on weekends, are available to police with youths in their custody
at the Juvenile Detention Center.
Diversion Programs: Juvenile
Intake Services includes the Hearing Officer Program which hears
minor misdemeanor cases which may be resolved by informal arbitration
and sanctions. Section 16.1-227 and Section 16.1-260 of the
Code of Virginia describes the purpose and intent of the juvenile
court to divert when possible, consistent with the protection
of public safety, those cases that can be handled through alternative
programs. The Hearing Officer is used most frequently in trespassing,
minor property, and alcohol cases.
The Hearing Officer states the nature
of the hearing to the juvenile, the parents and/or complainants,
and discusses the situation with all involved. Depending upon
the problem and the nature of the responses, the Hearing Officer
decides on the course of action. Most often community service
or restitution is assigned, or the case is continued for a period
of time and closed if the juvenile commits no further offenses.
Other sanctions which are used with this process include STOP
(Shoplifter Theft Offender Program), SAFE (Substance Abuse Focused
Education Program), Firestop Program, and contributions to charitable
organizations. A petition may be filed for formal processing
if new offenses are committed.
The successful completion of an informal
hearing by the juvenile does not result in any conviction to
their record. However, if the juvenile fails to complete informal
hearing sanctions, a petition may be filed for formal processing.
Parents Support Group: The Fairfax
Juvenile Court sponsors a Parents Support Group coordinated
by the Court's Central Intake Services. The group meets in Room
2221 of the courthouse each Tuesday evening at 7:00pm. The group
is free of charge and is limited to parents or custodians and
focuses discussion among parents and Intake Counselors on the
following problems: runaway behavior, truancy, alcohol/drug
abuse, and serious behavioral problems at home, school or community.
Parents or custodians are welcome to attend whether or not their
children are Court involved, and includes those families whose
child/children may currently be on probation. For further information
on this group, interested parties may contact the J&DR Court's
Central Intake Unit at 703 246 2495.
The Code of Virginia requires all Juvenile
and Domestic Relations district Courts to provide probation
services. When the court places a juvenile on probation, the
Court refers the case to one of the Court's four Probation Services
Units. When the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations
District Court places a juvenile on probation, the Court refers
the juvenile's case to one of the following four Probation Services
Units operated by the Court Services Unit.
- South County Probation Services,
8350 Richmond Hwy., Suite 119, Alexandria, VA, 22309, Phone
703-704-6004
- North County Probation Services,
1850 Cameron Glen Dr., Suite 400, Reston, VA, 20190, Phone
703-481-4014
- East County Probation Services,
2812 Old Lee Hwy., Suite 100, Fairfax, VA, 22031, Phone 703-204-1016
- Center County Probation Services,
10426 Main Street, Fairfax, VA 22030, Phone 703-383-1391
As much as possible, cases are assigned
to individual probation officers by the school a probationer
attends. This practice allows for mutual support between school
officials and Court Services staff, places emphasis on the importance
of education to the productive future of probationers and provides
the opportunity for an on-going exchange of information about
probationers.
School Probation Officer Program:
Jointly sponsored by the Court and the Fairfax County Public
School Board, teachers in selected intermediate and high schools
are designated as part-time probation counselors. They attempt
to handle student problems through counseling and referral either
before or after the students become involved with the Court.
Court probation officers work closely with school staff to assist
them in supervision of youth placed on probation.
Effective reduction of future offenses
by juveniles is of critical importance to the Court. Consequently,
many specialized services have been developed to enhance Court
intervention. These include parole; diagnostic services; community
service, family counseling; and coordination of direct Court
placements.
Parole: The parole unit provides
supervision and case management to youth committed to the Department
of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and to those youth who have been discharged
from the juvenile correctional centers. Youth are eligible for
commitment after being convicted of one felony or four class
one misdemeanors. Following commitment to DJJ, youth are transferred
to the Reception and Diagnostic Center in Richmond for intake
and evaluation. In the majority of committed cases, DJJ has
the sole authority to determine the length of time a youth will
stay in their custody. This length of stay is based on their
committing offenses and any prior criminal history. The court
can set sentences in more serious cases, as specified in the
Code of Virginia. DJJ operates several juvenile correctional
centers, and may assign youth to any of the centers depending
on their age, sex, and individual circumstances. While committed,
youth interact with their Parole Officer in order to maximize
the services provided by the center, and prepare for their release.
Parole Officers can obtain transitional services for youth including
counseling and vocational services. Parole Officers also provide
supervision to ensure compliance with parole rules and to provide
for community safety. Parole staff may refer youth to halfway
houses for those unable to return directly to the community.
Parole staff also provide case management and counseling to
youth while they are incarcerated.
SHOCAP (Serious or Habitual
Offender Comprehensive Action Plan) is a joint effort of the
Court, local police departments, and allied social services
agencies to enhance supervision and services to the SHOCAP program
population. To qualify for SHOCAP, a youth must meet conviction
criteria established by the Code of Virginia. Information about
youth in the program may be shared between agencies to enhance
services and supervision.
Interdisciplinary Team: Section
16.1-278.5 of the Code of Virginia necessitated the establishment
of an interagency team to review and make recommendations on
youth adjudicated to be Children In Need of Supervision (truants
and runaways), prior to the Court making a final disposition.
Members of the Inter-disciplinary Team include: mental health,
public schools, alcohol and drug services, Court Services staff
and the Department of Family Services. The team is coordinated
by the Assistant Director of the Family Systems Counseling unit.
The purpose of the team is to evaluate a youth's individualized
service needs for the Court's consideration in its dispositional
findings. Due to the interagency approach and early intervention
strategies, the team is able to address a multitude of problems
faced by the youth and families.
Psychological Services: Judges
may order psychological evaluations as part of social investigations
for juveniles within the purview of the Court. Probation counselors
also may request such evaluations during the course of social
investigations to aid in the formulation of treatment plans.
Although private doctors and psychologists perform some of these
evaluations, emergency cases are performed by staff psychologists
from the Community Services Board assigned to the Court.
Diagnostic Team: The Diagnostic
Team is an interagency group whose membership includes a psychologist
assigned to the Court and, according to the particular case
under consideration, representatives from the Health Department,
the Department of Family Services (DFS), the school board, and
other agencies. The group reviews especially difficult cases
referred by judges, probation counselors, and DFS case workers,
and reports its recommendations to the judges. Most juveniles
whose cases come before the team have failed to respond to prior
treatment efforts. The team considers a range of specialized
diagnostic evaluations about each juvenile it sees and facilitates
collaboration among the different agencies whose cooperation
is required to implement recommended treatment plans. Special
emphasis is placed on checking whether community resources have
been exhausted before recommending the removal of any juvenile
from the community.
Family Counseling: The Family
Counseling Unit provides counseling services to families involved
with the Court. This program is designed to assist families
who are experiencing problems with a child's behavior, marital
difficulties, or custody/visitation/support matters. The overall
goal of the counseling is to aid family members in understanding
the development and maintenance of the problems in order to
develop more thoughtful and effective problem-solving methods.
Referrals to the program are made by Court service staff and
judges.
Educational seminars are provided for
court involved families. The Impact of Separation and Divorce
on Families Seminar is an eight hour, two hour a week, four
week seminar offered to parties who have approached the court
regarding custody, visitation, or support litigation. Participation
in this seminar fulfills the requirements of Section 16.1-278.15
of the Code of Virginia regarding attendance of an educational
parenting seminar.
Family Anger Management is an eight
hour, two hour a week, four week presentation for families who
are court involved with the court and have been ordered or referred
to the program. This includes parents, guardians, and juveniles
who are age 13 or older.
Family Counseling staff also prepare
evaluations for the Court's Inter-disciplinary and Diagnostic
Team and offer training and consultation to other Court staff.
This unit also provides substance abuse screening, evaluations,
education groups and substance abuse counseling by certified
substance abuse counselors. Counseling services are free of
charge and families can be seen at the main office of the Fairfax
Juvenile Court, Room 2702, or at either of the Court's field
unit offices in Alexandria or Reston.
Special Placements: In July
1993, in accordance with the implementation of the Comprehensive
Services Act (CSA), funds for the purchase of residential placements
and for non-residential services for Court youths were transferred
from the State level to the local government level. Five Family
Assessment and Planning Teams review the need for services and
are responsible for ensuring that existing local resources have
been used prior to approval of out-of-home placements. When
a placement is approved, the team's emphasis is on selecting
the least restrictive placement while still meeting the needs
of the youth. The Court's two placement coordinators assume
casework responsibilities for placements and provide probation/parole
supervision to those youths. They visit youths in placement,
work with the placement in achieving treatment goals, and work
with parents toward changes that will ensure the youth's successful
return to the community. Supervision continues for a minimum
of six months once a youth returns home. Placement coordinators
are also responsible for administrative functions (e.g., billing
and encumbrances) for non-residential services approved under
the CSA. Placement Coordinators also serve as standing members
of the Family Assessment and Planning Teams, representing the
Juvenile Court.
Intensive Supervision Program: The
Intensive Supervision Program (ISP) provides evening and weekend
supervision to youth identified as serious or habitual offenders
through SHOCAP and youth on parole/probation who have been identified
as high-risk to reoffend through a risk assessment. ISP staff
work rotating shifts so that at least one probation officer
is monitoring the behavior of these youth in the community each
night of the week. They conduct home visits to confirm adherence
to curfews and administer urine screens and Breathalyzer tests.
These probation officers provide crisis intervention counseling
to families (if needed) submit progress reports to the supervising
probation officers, share information with local police departments,
and carry portable police radios. The service is an adjunct
to standard probation supervision.
Juvenile/Adult Sex Offender Program:
The Sex Offender Program is a treatment program provided by
private providers and is available to juveniles and adults adjudicated
by the Juvenile Court to be guilty of sex offenses. The Court
may order the client to receive an assessment prior to final
disposition.
Young Offender Program: Court
staff work exclusively with youth under age 14 who are CHINS
or criminal offenders who are detained at JDC or placed at Less
Secure pending a hearing. The Young Offender Program Coordinator
conducts risk assessments, coordinates immediate services, develops
social histories, provides pre-dispositional supervision, completes
I&Rs, manages the grant funded treatment contract and serves
as resource specialist for court and other county agencies on
community services available for this age group.
Community Services Program:
The Community Service Program (CSP) serves as a resource for
the Informal Hearing Officer Program and as a dispositional
option for the judges. The program assigns youth to work without
pay in a governmental or non-profit agency. Youth are assigned
a certain number of hours to perform according to the seriousness
and number of offenses for which they are adjudicated not innocent.
Those who fail to complete their hours are subject to a show
cause order for contempt of court. The program also offers mini-CSP
sites that operate on weekends under the supervision of court
volunteers to probation violators who are referred for an informal
sanction by their probation counselor. Four probation counselors
serve as staff for CSP.
Pursuant to VA Code Ann. § 16.1-278 a juvenile convicted
of various status and/or criminal offenses can be ordered to
hours of community service. The number of hours to be worked
is established by the judge at the time of sentencing. The program
coordinator establishes and monitors the placement while day-to-day
supervision is provided by the job site supervisor. Failure
to complete the hours assigned results in a return to court.
The program is designed for and is most successful with first
and second time misdemeanor offenders. The age range for the
program is from 13 to 18 years of age. Job site supervisors
are not able to handle chronic delinquent, assaultive, or emotionally
disturbed youth. Community Service orders arranged by individuals,
families, or attorneys are discouraged.
Generally, the Court has guidelines that establish the number
of community service hours. The project discourages setting
a specific time limit in which to complete the community service
as this type of directive contravenes program procedures.
Evening Reporting Center: The
Evening Reporting Center is a 30 day non-residential program
designed to provide an alternative to detention for youth on
probation who commit technical violations or other delinquent
acts. It is a community-based program that is a part of the
Juvenile Court continuum of graduated sanctions. The goal is
to develop skills in youth that support pro-social behaviors.
Admission Criteria consist of:
- Within the purview of the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic
Relations District Court
- On probation or parole and living within the boundaries
of the South County Probation Office
- Age 14-18 years (younger youth will be considered on a case
by case basis)
- Facing court action for violation of probation/parole or
new criminal offenses
- Agreeing to in lieu of a probation violation being filed
- Are of moderate to high risk to re-offend based on the Department
of Juvenile Justice Risk Assessment
Supervised Release Services:
Supervised Release Services (SRS) encompasses the Outreach Detention
and Electronic Monitoring Programs. It provides highly structured
supervision, monitoring, and services to juveniles who are awaiting
adjudication or final disposition of charges, and might otherwise
be detained at the Juvenile Detention Center or placed at the
Less Secure Shelter. Judges may release juveniles to SRS at
a detention hearing, or an adjudication or dispositional hearing,
on the condition that they follow the rules established by the
Court in conjunction with the SRS program. SRS staff meet with
the assigned juveniles immediately after their release to SRS,
or within 24 hours, to establish SRS rules as required by State
minimum standards. Staff also orient juveniles and parents to
other expectations, such as frequency and place of visits, and
sanctions for rule violations. SRS staff visit juveniles four
times per week, which include at least once every other day,
weekdays, and weekends. Visits take place at a juvenile's home,
place of employment, or school. Staff contact parents or guardians
at least weekly.
Residential Pre-Dispositional Placements:
In more serious cases which are not informally diverted, the
Court intake counselor must decide whether juveniles should
be detained or placed outside of their home prior to a Court
hearing or whether they can be released to parents or a guardian.
If detention is necessary, the available options pending the
Court's detention hearing are release to parents or responsible
adult, placement in the Less Secure Shelter, or the Fairfax
Juvenile Detention Center.
The decision by Intake to detain a
juvenile outside of his/her home is made if the juvenile presents
a danger to the community or to themselves, and the judge may
decide to detain if it is determined that the juvenile is unlikely
to appear for the Court hearing. In all cases in which juveniles
are placed outside of their homes pending a Court hearing, a
judicial determination to continue detention must be made by
a judge the next working day after a juvenile is first detained
to ensure that continued detention is appropriate.
The Juvenile Court runs two pre-dispositional
placement facilities for juveniles: the Less Secure Shelter
and the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center.
Less Secure Shelter: The Less
Secure Shelter is a non-secure facility serving boys and girls,
ages 10-17, who are Children in Need of Supervision or Services,
and delinquent offenders with minor criminal records. Youth
are ordered into the program through a court order or a shelter
care order. The program provides individual and group counseling,
as well as a parent support/education group. The residents attend
the on-grounds school staffed by Fairfax County Public Schools
teachers. The facility provides a safe and structured environment
where youth can start examining the behavior that prompted their
removal from home, as well as their court involvement.
Juvenile
Detention Center: The Juvenile Detention Center is a
secure pre-dispositional holding facility originally opened
in October 1982 with a capacity for 33 boys and girls. The facility
expanded to a capacity of 44 beds in April 1991, 55 beds in
October 1992, and to 121 beds in 1998. It is designed both architecturally
and programmatically to reduce stress for the residents while
providing control and safety. Security is maintained through
physical surveillance and personal contact between staff and
detainees, rather than through electronic equipment; the extensive
use of internal windows facilitates surveillance without being
obtrusive. A glass-lined circulation corridor surrounds an open
inner courtyard with small-group living areas, each organized
as a set of 11 bedrooms opening into a common day room, to replace
the traditional cellblock. The building provides specialized
single-purpose space for schooling, arts and crafts, physical
exercise, dining, intake, reception, and administration. Special
attention is paid to screening medical needs, and to providing
a balanced low-sugar diet. The program has received numerous
facility and employee awards for outstanding performance.
Residential Post-dispositional
Placements
Girls Probation House (GPH):
The Girls Probation House, established in 1975, provides court-involved
adolescent females who exhibit chronic behavioral problems,
an individualized, structured and rehabilitative treatment program
in the local community. Now called the Variable Stay Program,
it is family-oriented, short to moderate term, and has a capacity
to serve 12 residents ranging in age from 13 to 17. The program
serves both CHINS and delinquent female offenders placed in
the facility by judicial order, but does not treat those with
severe emotional, mental health, and substance abuse issues.
The program provides a structured environment which emphasizes
the acceptance of personal responsibility and accountability
by residents through means of a 3-level program of behavior
modification, positive peer culture, individual, group and intensive
family counseling, and weekly parent/community groups. Based
on the premise that girls need to gain a sense of independence,
self control, and self confidence, treatment is designed to
alter the cycle of dysfunctional behavior, foster healthy emotional
functioning, strengthen family and academic functioning, and
successfully facilitate the return of residents to their homes
and communities. The Fairfax County Public Schools provides
two teachers who address the educational needs of residents
in an on-site daily school program.
A Shelter Care Program has been added
to address the needs of shelter care residents placed in the
facility by judicial order. Length of stay and intensity of
treatment is based upon needs of residents, who are often then
transferred into the Variable Stay Program.
Boys Probation House (BPH):
BPH is a community based residential treatment facility for
male probationers. The referral process starts with the probation
officer or judge referring the juvenile for an interview. If
he is appropriate for the program the judge then orders the
juvenile to complete one of the two programs offered by the
facility.
The Therapeutic Treatment Program has
a capacity of sixteen boys. It is a highly structured program
designed to reduce chronic delinquent behavior and emphasize
the acceptance of personal responsibility by participants. This
program accepts boys who are between fourteen and seventeen
years of age and takes nine to twelve months to successfully
complete. Program participants are assigned to one of two groups.
Each group has eight members. Residents participate in program
activities with the members of their assigned group. Major goals
of treatment are to make residents more responsible for their
behavior, help them learn to make better decisions in their
lives, and promote an understanding and acceptance of the role
of authority and its value in their daily lives. Parental involvement
is required and considered crucial to successful treatment.
The Transitional Living Program (TLP)
has a capacity of six males. This program is designed to assist
seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boys in becoming independent
adults. The length of the program is five to seven months. This
program focuses on preparing young men to live on their own.
Each resident is required to obtain and maintain fulltime employment.
The program's curriculum provides residents with life skills
training in many areas that include but are not limited to job
interview preparation, job retention, budgeting their income,
consumer awareness, community responsibility, selecting an appropriate
hobby, positive decision-making, establishing and maintaining
healthy relationships, personal health and hygiene, nutrition,
and food preparation. Residents can complete their education
through earning a high school diploma, GED, or attending community
college while in the program. The program structure provides
residents with a firm support system that teaches them to take
responsibility for their actions as they focus on behavioral
change, maturity, and goal attainment.
Beta Program: The Beta Program
is a sentencing program which confines youth for up to six months
in the Juvenile Detention Center and provides the Court an alternative
to committing youth to the Department of Juvenile Justice (in
accordance with the Code of Virginia 16.1-284.1). Interventions
are structured around such issues as anger management, social
skills training, decision making skills, moral reasoning, and
setting boundaries and limits. Services include individual and
group therapy, a psycho-educational component, and both therapeutic
recreation and art therapy. Youths who are accepted into the
program will be provided treatment by the program's Mental Health
and Alcohol and Drug Services clinical staff.
The 15 bed program accommodates both
males and females. To enter the program juveniles must be referred
by a probation officer and must also complete an admissions
assessment with the program coordinator and clinical staff who
determine their appropriateness for placement. The Code requires
that the youth must be 14 years of age or older and has not
previously been and is not currently adjudicated delinquent
of a violent felony or found guilty of a violent felony and
has not been released from the custody of the Department of
Juvenile Justice within the previous 18 months. The program
does not accept youth who are psychotic or those requiring sex
offender treatment services. The Code further requires that
the court shall conduct mandatory review hearings at least once
during each thirty day period of confinement.
Alternative Schools: The Court
and the Fairfax County Public School Board collaborate in operating
or supporting a variety of alternative schools for youngsters
who are unable to benefit from the ordinary public school experience.
Five of these schools were created by joint action of the court
and the School Board: the Falls Bridge School in Reston; the
Hillwood High School, and Blackwell Middle School in Merrifield;
the Sager School in Fairfax City; and the Gunston School in
Mount Vernon. The Court provides facilities and administrative
support and the School Board provides full-time teacher, books
and supplies for each school. Each school has the capacity to
handle from 8 to 10 students under probation supervision by
the Court who have experiences behavior and/or attendance problems
in school. Students are referred by their probation counselors
who closely monitor their attendance in the alternative schools.
Students received individualized remedial instruction, designed
to enable them to either return to a regular school, obtain
a high school equivalency diploma, or enroll in a vocational
or work-study program within one year.
Enterprise School: The Enterprise
School is a private, non-profit school which provides a therapeutic
learning environment for up to 23 juveniles of average or above-average
intelligence who's emotional and behavioral problems have prevented
them from coping with regular school settings. Students are
enrolled in a 6-credit academic program that stresses addressing
individual needs within a small group instructional setting.
In addition, students participate in bi-weekly multiple-family
group counseling sessions with their parents. Fairfax County
Public Schools Department of Special Education provides one
full-time and one part-time teacher; the Court provides financial
support to the program. The Enterprise School is located in
Vienna, Virginia.
The Independent Study Program:
In 1992, the Fairfax Juvenile Court and Fairfax County Public
Schools developed the Independent Study Program with up to 35
youths on probation or parole. The program is designed to address
the educational needs of youth who have been unable to benefit
from traditional class room instruction or alternative school
programs. The program's four teachers serve youths who are pending
expulsion, or who have been expelled but permitted to attend
the specialized program by the School Board. The Independent
Study program has educational and work components. Youths meet
with teachers twice each week for school assignments and individual
instruction. They are encouraged to find employment to supplement
their Education. Job placements are coordinated by each youth's
probation counselor and teacher. Program participants can earn
GEDs, or if possible, be mainstreamed back into their base school.
Volunteer Learning Program:
The Volunteer Learning Program is an individualized tutoring
program available to all residents of Fairfax County. In addition
to the School Board, which provides one full-time coordinator
and 3 part-time assistants, and the Court, which provides office
space, the program is also sponsored by Fairfax County Public
Libraries which provide space for tutoring and training activity.
The program coordinators recruit, train, and supervise volunteers
who serve as tutors for persons needing remedial assistance
to pass the High School Equivalency Test. The program coordinators
and their assistant also diagnose individual educational needs
and match appropriate tutors to students and make referrals
to Adult Learning Centers. Tutors and students meet one-on-one
twice weekly, usually in a library, to work toward a selected
academic goal. Tutors are also assigned to the learning centers
and court residential programs. Many students are Court-referred;
other referrals come from the public schools, other agencies,
and other program participants.
The School Probation Officer Program:
Jointly sponsored by the Court and the School Board, teachers
in selected intermediate and high schools are designated as
part-time probation counselors. They attempt to handle student
problems through counseling and referral either before or after
the students become involved with the Court. They also assist
the assigned primary probation counselor in supervising court
client in the school setting.
Domestic Relations Adult Intake handles
all adult criminal offenses against children or family members,
and family complaints including child and spousal support disputes,
child custody and visitation disputes, and family abuse. Domestic
Relations Intake and Services are located on the 2nd floor of
the Fairfax Juvenile Court, 4000 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax,
VA 22030, in Room 2500, phone 703-246-3040.
Hours of operation are from 8:00 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with intake interviews
by appointment usually scheduled within 2-3 weeks of initial
contact. Intake services are also available one day per week
at the South County office. Intake interviews may be scheduled
after 4:30 p.m. depending upon factual circumstances and the
availability of an intake clerk.
Petitions and complaints are drafted
and signed at the time of the initial intake interview and sent
to Room 1305 to be assigned a Court date. Petition forms for
support, protective orders and other state forms are available
to attorneys from intake personnel or from Virginia's
Court Page.
If you wish to use the services of
Domestic Relations Adult Intake, It is best if you make an appointment
to come to the DOMESTIC RELATIONS SERVICES Office of the Court.
You can call this office at 703-246-3040 between 8:00 a.m. and
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. To talk about a family abuse
situation, it is best to call early in the day to make an appointment.
This way you may be able to come in the same day or the next
day. Without an appointment, you may have to wait longer to
talk to someone. Also, you may not be prepared with all the
information you will need for the appointment.
To talk about custody, visitation, or support problems, you
should call as soon as possible because it may take two weeks
or more before you can meet with an intake counselor.
Mediation services are available through
Domestic Relations Intake Services in support, custody, and
other cases in which both parties agree to participate or in
cases where mediation is ordered by the Court. The Virginia
Code authorizes Court mediators to assess a fee at the discretion
of the judge ordering the mediation. However, the general policy
of the Fairfax Juvenile Court has been not to assess costs for
Court mediation services.
Home study investigations are conducted
by Domestic Relations Intake Services only when ordered by the
Court. A fee may be charged in each case based upon the income
of the parties.
The adult probation officers of the
Domestic Relations Services staff provide probation supervision
to adults convicted of misdemeanor offenses against children
or family members. A substantial proportion of adult offenders
on probation have been convicted of spousal abuse or sexual
offenses against children. Adult probation officers meet with
probationers at least once per month. They monitor probationers'
activities, assess treatment and services needs, tailor service
plans to meet the needs, and monitor probationers' participation
in court ordered treatment or services. Adult probation officers
file probation violations against probationers alleged to be
in violation of probation rules. Additionally, adult probation
officers provide courtesy probation supervision to other courts.
III. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Volunteers participate in the delivery
of Court services as probation and parole aides, Court aides,
aides at residential facilities, and as support persons for
juveniles under Court Supervision who are in need of a positive
adult model. The Court's Volunteer Coordinator recruits and
screens volunteers, orients them to the Court system, and places
them with the staff members they will assist. The Coordinator
acts as a liaison between the Court and community organizations,
the Voluntary Action Center, and concerned citizens. The Volunteer
Coordinator may be reached at 703 246 2697.
The Volunteer Interpreter Program (VIP)
assists staff working with individuals for whom English is a
barrier. This helps clients and visitors to access appropriate
court services as well as court staff to more effectively process
clients. The program currently provides Spanish language interpretation,
and some other languages are available upon request. Volunteer
interpreters are available for all units and facilities. However,
courtroom service is limited to civil status hearings, protective
order hearings, and criminal advisement hearings. Interpretation
services consist of face-to-face interpretations between staff
and clients as well as telephone interpretations. Translation
services for written documents are also available. The Language
Access Coordinator coordinates the program.
The State of Virginia enacted the Virginia
Crime Victim and Witness Rights Act (19.2-11.0 Code of Virginia)
circa 1995 to address the needs of victims. In response, the
Victim Services Program was developed to aid victims who have
been victimized by juvenile offenders. Victim referral forms
are completed by the complainant during the intake process and
are forwarded to Victim Services by the Juvenile Intake staff.
The victim, adult or juvenile, is contacted and afforded the
choice to actively participate, with appropriate assistance,
in all stages of the criminal justice process. Services provided
to the victim include but are not limited to emotional support,
advanced notice of court proceedings, preparing the victim for
court, home visits, assistance in writing Victim Impact Statements
and filing Restitution Claim Forms, arrangement of victim/offender
meetings, resource referrals for counseling, medical or psychological
services, assistance in obtaining compensation through the Criminal
Injuries Compensation Fund and notification of offender status.
Victim services staff advocate on behalf of the victim to the
Commonwealth's Attorney, in cooperation with probation staff,
to insure their rights to participate in an offender's sentencing
and to have knowledge of any plea agreement being offered to
the court. In addition, probation staff may call upon Victim
Services to obtain information from the victim when preparing
an Investigation and Report for the court or to request a probation
meeting, with a probationer, for the purpose of victim impact
education.
If a defendant (adult or juvenile)
is convicted of an offense which has resulted in property loss,
property damage or personal injury, the court may order him
or her to pay restitution to the victim. Restitution officers
are responsible for enforcing restitution orders. The Restitution
Office is part of the Court Administrative Services but is located
in the Central Intake Office. A restitution officer meets with
any defendant who owes restitution immediately after the restitution
order is entered and explains the procedure for making restitution
payments, and establishes a payment plan and schedule with the
defendant. The defendant must send payments to the court so
that the restitution officer can track the payments and monitor
compliance with the court's order. The restitution officer records
the payments and then forwards them to the victim.
The Juvenile Drug Court provides a
non-adversarial model of court intervention in which repeat
non-violent juvenile offenders who have been identified as moderate/heavy
substance abusers are held accountable for their offenses and
their recovery. The program is a unique partnership between
the juvenile justice system; alcohol, drug, and mental health
treatment providers; and education communities. Juvenile Drug
Court structures strength-based treatment intervention around
the authority and personal involvement of the drug court judge.
The premise of the program is that frequent and effective substance
abuse treatment and monitoring of juvenile offenders will result
in higher recovery rates, lower relapse numbers and reduced
criminal behavior. Parents and legal custodians, or guardians,
of juvenile offenders are required to cooperate and participate
in the program to the extent necessary to ensure the success
of the juvenile. The Drug Court meets weekly.
Approved by the Virginia Department
of Motor Vehicles, this program offers youthful traffic law
violators a course in safe driving. The course consists of nine
hours of classroom time and five hours of driving time, and
requires the attendance of at least one parent. Youths successfully
completing the course are awarded five safe driving points and
may also have their citations dropped or the charges reduced.
Juvenile traffic law violators whose offenses such as reckless
driving, speeding or serious accidents which require a Court
appearance are eligible for traffic school.
The CASA program started in Fairfax
County in 1988; the Virginia General Assembly established a
statewide CASA program in 1990. The CASA worker is a trained
counselor volunteer who is appointed by a judge in abuse/neglect
proceedings. As a child advocate, the CASA volunteer has 3 main
responsibilities:
1. To serve as a fact finder for
the judge and the Guardian ad litem by thoroughly researching
the background of each assigned case;
2. To represent the child's best
interest to the Court through the preparation and filing of
a written report detailing the CASA's case investigations
and recommendations; and
3. To continue to interact with the
child and family for the duration of the case, or as ordered
by the Court
The Fairfax CASA office is located
at 4101 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA; their office number
is 703-273-3526.
The Fairfax County Victim Assistance
Network is sponsored by the Community Services Board and provides
counseling and advocacy services for victims of sexual assault
and domestic violence. 703-360-7273.
The Women's Shelter is another free
program sponsored by the Community Services Board. It offers
temporary housing, food, children's services, and custodial
support to women and their children who need refuge from violence
in the home. 703-435-4940.
Sponsored by the Community Services
Board, the Anger and Domestic Abuse Prevention & Treatment
(ADAPT) program offers counseling and treatment for men and
women who have been physically or psychologically abusive to
their partners or children. Services are offered in Annandale,
Alexandria, Reston and Chantilly. The phone number for more
information and registration is 703-968-4052.
Sponsored jointly by Fairfax County
Public Schools (FCPS) Office of Adult and Community Education,
Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court,
and the Fairfax County Public Library System, Volunteer Learning
Program is a tutorial program designed to advance the knowledge
and skills of learners as they strive to obtain a diploma or
a GED. One-on-one tutoring sessions assist learners in acquiring
competency in reading, writing, mathematics, social studies,
and science. For more information, please contact the Program
Coordinator at 703-246-2139 or e-mail VLP@fcps.edu.
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