Shay Bilchik, Administrator

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS

BJA NIJ OJJDP BJS OVC

Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention

Training of Staff in Juvenile Detention

and Correctional Facilities

FACT SHEET #37 July 1996

The training programs offered by the Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) support a balanced approach to addressing juvenile delinquency and youth violence

through graduated sanctions, improving the juvenile justice

system’s ability to respond, and preventing the onset of delinquency. Training juvenile detention and corrections practitioners

has long been a priority within this overall approach. This

training reflects the findings of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act in 1974 that “inadequately trained staff in

such courts, services, and facilities are not able to provide

individualized justice or effective help.”

Twenty years later, juvenile correctional and detention agency

directors continue to stress the need for enhanced training for

juvenile justice practitioners, particularly for juvenile

careworkers. Professional practitioners and academicians have

viewed training as a priority due to several factors, including

uneven levels of preemployment education, high staff turnover

rates, increasingly complex needs of juvenile offenders, liability

issues, and scarce agency funds.

A Changing Environment

Juvenile justice practitioners report that the youth they serve are

increasingly angry and pessimistic about the future. Many youth

lack basic competencies and family systems and are isolated from

and feared by their home communities. A culture of violence

appears to be emerging among these youth.

America is experiencing cultural, ethnic, and demographic

changes. Today’s job market requires higher competencies.

Philosophical and value changes have created tension between

rehabilitative and punitive approaches. Some observers of the

juvenile justice system see practitioners withdrawing into a

protective and reactive posture.

The changing environment intensifies the need for continual

professional development and adjustments in training curriculums. Careworkers without prior experience or proper training

will not be able to provide the level of supervision, treatment, or

custody necessary to be effective. Entry level training must

prepare the careworker in interpersonal, counseling, supervisory,

and management skills. These workers must understand the

limits of their responsibility and authority, as well as judicial and

legislative decisions that affect their jobs. Continuing inservice

courses will equip staff working with delinquent youth to ensure

the personal safety of juveniles, manage aggressive behavior,

establish and maintain a counseling relationship, and offer a

comprehensive treatment regimen.

OJJDP Training Offerings

To assist juvenile corrections and detention agencies with staff

training, OJJDP funds two distinct programs—one designed for

line staff and one for managerial and supervisory staff. The line

staff training program is administered by the Center for Research

and Professional Development, hereafter Center, a collaboration

of the National Juvenile Detention Association, the Juvenile

Justice Trainers Association, the National Association of

Juvenile Correctional Agencies, and the School of Criminal

Justice at Michigan State University. The program for managers

and supervisory staff is managed by the National Institute of

Corrections (NIC) Academy through an interagency agreement

with OJJDP.

Line Staff Training

The Center’s line staff training program offers jurisdictions

training materials, comprehensive training curriculums, lesson

plans, and technical assistance. The National Juvenile Detention

Careworker Curriculum and Juvenile Corrections Careworker

Curriculum provide 40 hours of basic training for new or

preservice careworkers. The Center also offers “train-thetrainers” courses for both curriculums.

The Center is also establishing a schedule of training programs

and services, with particular attention to making training

accessible nationwide. Training topics will include:

• Juvenile Detention Careworker Certification

• Curriculum Orientation (24-hour Train-the-Trainer)

• Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation

• Behavior Management

by F.M. Porpotage II
BULK RATE

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/OJJDP

Permit No. G–91

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Washington, D.C. 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

• Characteristics of Effective Staff

• Safety and Security

• Teaching Responsibility

• Collocated Juvenile Detention & Adult Corrections

• Assessing and Improving Conditions of Confinement

• Detention as Process and Place

• Line Staff Professional Development

The Center provides site-based training that keeps participant

costs to a minimum. Modest registration fees may be requested

to cover the cost of materials and equipment. Participants may

incur some travel costs.

Management Level Training

Seminars developed or adapted for juvenile justice practitioners

at the NIC Academy offer a core curriculum for juvenile

corrections and detention administrators and midlevel management personnel on emerging technologies and issues. Each

seminar provides several days of intensive training, including

small and large group discussion, group exercises, and shared

experiences. In most cases, participants develop individual

action plans or initiate projects they can implement in their

communities and facilities.

Seminars offered by the NIC Academy program have included:

• Correctional Leadership Development

• Executive Training for New Facility Directors

• Executive Training for New Juvenile Agency CEO’s

• Public and Media Relations

• Managing Violent & Disruptive Juvenile Offenders

• Services and Programs for Juvenile Female Offenders

• Evaluation and Accountability Strategies for Juvenile

Correctional Programs

NIC Academy training does not require any fees for registration,

tuition, or materials. For seminars conducted in Longmont,

Colorado (the Academy’s home), the OJJDP/NIC Interagency

Agreement funds the cost of participants’ air travel, lodging, and

meals.

Seminars on Correctional Leadership Development and Executive Training for New Facility Directors are conducted at

regional locations. Although participants are responsible for all

travel expenses, the project covers costs of lodging and meals.

Detailed information and application procedures for management level training can be found in the Schedule of Training and

Services for Juvenile Justice Practitioners. For a current copy of

the schedule, contact the NIC Academy Program Managers at

the address and telephone number below. Because seminars are

limited to 24 participants, interested persons are encouraged to

apply early.

Contacts for Further Information

Line Staff Training: David W. Roush, Ph.D., Director, Center

for Research and Professional Development, School of Criminal

Justice, Michigan State University, 130 Baker Hall, East

Lansing, Michigan 48824–1118. Telephone: 517–432–1242;

FAX: 517–432–1787; e-mail: NJDA.MSU@ssc.msu.edu.

Management Level Training: Steven L. Swisher or Judith L.

Blair, Program Managers, National Institute of Corrections

Academy, 1960 Industrial Circle, Suite A, Longmont, Colorado

80501. Telephone: 800–995–6429; FAX: 303–682–0469.

General Information on Detention and Corrections Training:

F.M. Porpotage II, Assistant Director, Training and Technical

Assistance Division, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, Room 711, 633 Indiana Avenue NW, Washington,

D.C. 20531. Telephone: 202–307–5940; FAX: 202–307–2093.

FS-9637