The center serves as a temporary holding facility for juveniles arrested by law enforcement for violations of the daytime or nighttime curfews or for truancy. While held at the center, juveniles are invited to participate in an intake and assessment process and are given information about services in the community that can help with their needs. If the parents or guardians of a juvenile cannot be located, the juvenile is released to La Raza for shelter and services. Juveniles at-risk of delinquency and their families are offered three months of case management services to assist them with their problems. If they accept, a case manager from the Juvenile Assessment Center will meet regularly with the family to plan problem-solving strategies and to monitor the family's progress.
Case managers help families connect with and follow through with needed services in the community.
At the end of the three months, the juvenile's family and a case manager from the Juvenile Assessment Center decide if their case can be successfully closed or if there is a need for case management services to continue. The Corpus Christi Police Department provides on-site law enforcement during the center's intake hours in the daytime and at night. The center employs a professional staff of case managers and intake specialists, as well as support staff. Additionally, a wide variety of youth agencies in the Coastal Bend reposition staff at the center. The Juvenile Assessment Center also has a program in which college students in related fields do internships working at the center.