Detention Information

A General Overview

Detention Hall General Information
This document provides general information regarding day-to-day existence when placed into Detention.

Vision

Juvenile Detention is a supportive environment that provides physical and emotional safety, develops life skills, and promotes youth and families to be successful.

Our mission is to house juvenile offenders in a safe, secure, and humane living environment where they are cared for and supervised by professionals.

Guiding Principles for Use of Detention:

Pre-sentenced:  In the absence of appropriate less restrictive alternatives, secure detention is reserved for high risk youth who pose a danger to self or to the community or for youth who are not likely to attend court hearings (per Detention Risk Assessment Instrument-DRAI).

Principle for Detaining:   Confinement may be ordered as part of the original sentence and in response to probation violations. When ordered, confinement is used in measured increments where youth are placed in the least restrictive setting providing for accountability, control, and community safety.

General Information

Juvenile Detention is a safe and secure environment for youth who have been arrested for an offense, on a warrant or who are serving a sentence imposed by the Court.  Detention has medical, mental health, drug and alcohol, anger management, victim awareness, educational and skill building services available to the incarcerated youth. The Jail provides food services; the school program is operated by ESD 101, and our Medical Department provides nursing and mental health services.

While in detention, youth receive the benefit of:

• School programming (ESD 101), including special education assessments and programming.
• Suicide risk assessments.
• Medical screenings, assessments, and treatment.
• Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) classes
• Aggression Replacement Therapy (ART) classes
• Conflict resolution groups and individuals (Peace Table)
• Cultural Diversity Class
• Family Night (reframing, skill building, CBT, family fun)
• Food Handlers Cards (presented by staff and coordinated with the Spokane Regional Health District)
• Girls Group (led by Mentors, Interns, and JCOs)
• Intern program
• Mental Health counseling and screening (daily, Monday through Friday)
• Mentor program
• Physical Training (daily)
• Poetry and Writing Class
• Substance Abuse screening and follow up
• Teen Aid Program
• Teen Challenge International Program
• Other programs for detained youth including access to religious services and bible studies, structured learning regarding a variety of topics dealing with societal issues, HIV/STD education classes and a structured gymnasium program.

The Facility

• The Juvenile Detention Center is a 39 bed facility with 7 Intake/booking cells.
• It operates 7 days a week, 24 hours per day
• There is a total of 51 full time staff in detention.
• There are approximately 54 volunteers.

Marie Studebaker
Detention Manager
509-477-2420
MStudebaker@spokanecounty.org