Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Juvenile Justice topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Family Division official: Berrien County selected for Drexel juvenile diversion Community of Practice
Summary
Elvin Gonzalez said Berrien County is one of 10 counties selected for Drexel University's 2026 Community of Practice to develop incentive-based juvenile probation programming; the county will receive technical assistance at no cost and a staff presentation will follow program design.
Elvin Gonzalez, Family Division & Juvenile Center director, told the Berrien County Administration Committee that the county has been chosen to participate in Drexel University’s 2026 Community of Practice for juvenile diversion work. "Only 10 counties in the United States have been selected for this program," Gonzalez said, and two probation officers plus one supervisor will meet monthly with peers and experts for a year to design incentive-focused probation strategies at no cost to the county.
Gonzalez also described staffing changes at the Family Division: two Attorney Referee positions are open due to retirements and one candidate is in the hiring process; he clarified differences among attorney referees, law clerks and magistrates. He reported that law enforcement now has access to tether software for electronic monitoring and that the AFSCME union contract will be addressed in the HR–corporate counsel meeting scheduled for April 30. Gonzalez said he will present the finalized program to the Board of Commissioners after design work is complete.
