Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
County juvenile‑justice panel urges more in‑home therapists, transportation and community programs to reduce detention
Summary
Panelists and juvenile‑court staff told the Cuyahoga County subcommittee on Feb. 26 that expanding in‑home therapy, transportation support and pro‑social community programs would reduce detention and improve outcomes for youth; the committee agreed to draft a youth survey and continue work toward recommendations to County Council.
Judge Ronald Adrian and the Cuyahoga County Safety and Justice Affairs Committee juvenile court advisory subcommittee convened a panel on Feb. 26, 2025 to hear from juvenile‑court staff and community providers about what is working and where the county should invest to reduce detention and support youth reentry.
Panelists emphasized early intervention, in‑home therapy and community‑based programs as the most cost‑effective ways to prevent deeper court involvement. Gabriela Nieves, intervention specialist at the court’s early intervention and diversion center, said, "In 2024 alone, we worked with 1,026 cases, and of those cases, 84 percent were successfully diverted." She added that diversion requires ongoing contact with programs to maintain engagement.
Speakers described a shortage of evidence‑based, in‑home services. Darren Johnson, a multisystemic therapy (MST) therapist with nearly 10 years at the juvenile court,…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
