THE JUVENILE COURT

The Smith County Juvenile Court Room at the Juvenile Attention Center is operated under the direction of the Juvenile Judge.

COURT AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

The Court and Community Service Unit consists of:

• The Director
• Assistant Director
• Administrative Assistant
• Administrative Secretary
• Probation Administrator
• Probation Officer Supervisor
• 19 certified Juvenile Probation Officers
• Case Aides
• Curfew Checker
• Data Management Unit Supervisor
• 3 Data Management Specialists
• 2 Community Service Coordinators, and
• Volunteer Coordinator

The probation division is responsible for supervising juveniles on probation and referring the child and the family to agencies in the community in order to help meet their needs.  Probation Officers are responsible for conducting initial interviews with the child and their parents, and, if necessary taking the child through the court process.  The Probation Officer is an extension of the Juvenile Court and is responsible for completing social investigations, preparing reports for and testifying in Court.  They are also responsible for supervising the child following court action on a voluntary basis if no court action is taken.

As a supervisor, the Probation Officer monitors the child’s progress or lack of progress in an area such as the home, school, and place of employment.  The supervision and monitoring is to enforce the conditions of probation and to assess the needs of the child.  A confidential record is kept of all significant events regarding each case.  The Probation Officers participate in a 24 hour on-call rotation to answer emergency calls from law enforcement, parents and children.

DETENTION SERVICES                        

The Detention Services are located in a 65-bed facility serving a wide range of troubled juveniles.  A full-time staff of Juvenile Detention Officers provides 24-hour care.  The full time staff consists of:

• The Facility Administrator
• Detention Manager
• 3 Detention Supervisors
• 4 Training Officers
• 1 Intensive Resource Coordinator, and
• Detention Officers who work directly with the residents.

The Detention Program provides temporary services for juveniles who are awaiting a court hearing and are unable to return home.  The program is designed to aid the child in becoming more secure, learning discipline habits, following rules, and better understanding socially acceptable behavior.  This is accomplished through daily learning activities, chores, and guidelines that each person is expected to follow.  Juveniles are monitored constantly and are provided daily feedback through a behavioral level system which determines what privileges (i.e.: day-room, phone calls, etc.) are earned each day.  The average length of stay is approximately two weeks.
Other activities, afforded to the program include:  academic studies provided by teachers, volunteer groups offering learning, recreational and religious activities, mentors, and staff implemented activities in physical fitness and life skills.

JUVENILE JUSTICE ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM – (J.J.A.E.P.)

The JJAEP unit consists of:

• The JJAEP Administrator
• 3 Certified Teachers
• 1 Teacher's Aide
• 1 Behavior Interventionist/Truancy Officer

The Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program is an educational program of students who have been expelled from a regular school campus for a felony offense or expelled from an alternative school in Smith County.  The program is required to provide educational services for students in Language Arts/Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science.  The J.J.A.E.P. in Smith County, in addition to the required subject areas, provides several electives and physical education to help the students meet graduation requirements.  Students entering the program are tested to find their reading and mathematics functioning levels.  This allows the staff to match the curriculum to the individual student needs.  Prior to the students exiting the program, they are given an exit level test to see if there has been an improvement in their reading and math skills.

The students assigned to the J.J.A.E.P. are classified under two categories.  The first category is Mandated Students which are students who have committed one of the following felonies on a school campus, school sponsored activity, or school related activity.  uses, exhibits, or possesses a firearm, illegal knife, club, or weapon listed as prohibited, engages in conduct that contains the elements of aggravated assault, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, arson, murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, or capital murder, indecency with a child, aggravated kidnapping,  or retaliation.  The second category is Discretionary Students who are students who have severe and persistent misconduct while assigned to an Alternative School.

Students in the J.J.A.E.P. have a behavioral plan that is implemented by the staff to help them acquire the tools to change their negative behaviors, which will allow them to become productive citizens in the community.