County juvenile‑justice panel urges more in‑home therapists, transportation and community programs to reduce detention

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, said MST is an "intensive home and family model" that depends on strong parental commitment and frequent in‑home visits. He reported MST capacity of eight therapists and two supervisors but said the team currently has three therapists and one supervisor, creating a bottleneck for referrals.

Tamika Potter, director of residential services at Applewood Centers, described the county’s CBI (cognitive behavioral intervention) capacity: "At Applewood, within our boys' unit, we have 5 dedicated beds for the actual CBI program, and then we have 1 bed in our female unit that is dedicated to the CBI program." Panelists noted eligibility constraints — for example, Applewood cannot accept codefendants in the same unit — that limit how many youth can use that option.

Several panelists and court leaders flagged transportation as a persistent barrier to participation. Santino Montanez, placement/aftercare coordinator, and others described creative, short‑term fixes — including using limited reclaimed funds for gift cards or rideshares to enable home passes — but said more systematic transportation support is needed so families can attend visits, court, probation appointments and program activities.

Panelists also urged expanding job‑readiness programs, pro‑social activities through recreation centers and school‑based supports (IEPs, tutoring) so youth have structured opportunities and alternatives to unstructured free time. Santino Montanez and other staff credited workforce and poverty factors as drivers of delinquent behavior and said services that target family needs — such as financial literacy and parent supports — would help sustain youth progress after residential treatment.

Bridget Gibbons, deputy court administrator, explained state "reclaim" funding from the Ohio Department of Youth Services that the county uses to support programs including Phoenix Court, the mental‑health docket, the diversion center, MST and the Applewood CBI program. She told the subcommittee that reinvesting state funds into community programs is cheaper and more sustainable than sending youth to state correctional placements.

Committee members asked for clearer caseload and capacity numbers to translate the panel’s recommendations into budget requests. The committee discussed optimal probation caseloads (panelists recommended 12–15) versus reported averages in the low 20s to low 30s, and agreed staff will calculate how many officers would be needed to reach recommended caseload targets.

Next steps: staff agreed to draft a youth and family survey within a week to capture needs and program feedback, and the subcommittee set a follow‑up working meeting to continue drafting recommendations for County Council. The meeting ended after formal approval of the Jan. 27 minutes and an adjournment motion.