Allen County Juvenile Court Treatment
& Detention Center

(419) 998-5240
E-Mail Address: bcarroll@allencountyohio.com

Mission Statement

The Walter J. Roush Rehabilitation Wing, in serving the citizens and youth of Allen County, Ohio as a secure detention center and residential treatment facility, is dedicated to the philosophy and principals of the Allen County Juvenile Court, to providing a safe, secure, and sanitary facility for the care of delinquent children, and to the delivery of comprehensive services and interventions through professional conduct, training, education, and collaborative efforts with our network agencies and community partners for the betterment of all children.

History

The Walter J. Roush Rehabilitation Wing was dedicated on April 6, 1975 as a 33 bed secure detention and residential treatment facility in memory of the late Walter J. Roush, who was born February 21, 1927 in Lima, Ohio.  Mr. Roush graduated from Lima Central High School; attended Ohio Northern University for three years in the field of Education; served seventeen years at Baldwin Lima Hamilton as a Sales Product Supervisor; and, was veteran of the United States Navy, having served two years in the South Pacific.  Mr. Roush came to the Juvenile Court of Allen County, Ohio as a Probation Officer on February 17, 1964 and was subsequently made Chief Probation Officer under the late Judge Paul J. Rockey, serving in that capacity through the remainder of his years with the Court until his death on December 30, 1968.  Mr. Roush was the privileged husband of Eleanor L. Casey and proud father of two children, Brad and Bretta.  Recognized as a leader in the community for his untiring efforts in counseling, advising, and working with the youth of the community he became know as a “Friend of the Boy.”  Mr. Roush believed in young people, lived with young people, and knew the young people of his day. 

The Walter J. Roush Rehabilitation Wing, more commonly known as the Allen County Juvenile Treatment and Detention Center operates under the auspices of the Juvenile Division of the Allen County Court of Common Pleas.  The facility is part of the David O. Steiner Juvenile Services Center located on 4.1 acres at 1000 Wardhill Avenue in Shawnee Township, Lima; Allen County, Ohio.  The Treatment/Detention Center provides sleeping facilities, shower facilities, indoor/outdoor recreational/leisure areas, educational classrooms, administrative offices, and treatment/counseling facilities.  The rated capacity is for 33 youth in two wings, 21 male beds and 12 female beds in a one-story brick and concrete structure constructed in 1973 and opened in 1974.

Current & Previous Facility Directors

1974 – 1985                Robert P. Sleczkowski

1985 – 2007                Larry W. Webb

2008 – Present             Berlin R. Carroll

Detention Program

Youth may enter the Detention Program as the result of being arrested and charged with a delinquency (an act that would constitute a criminal offense if committed by an adult), by order of the court, or by their Probation Officer for failing to comply with the terms and conditions of probation.  Youth placed in detention prior to adjudication are given a detention hearing within 24 hours (72 on weekends) to determine the need for continued detention pending the next scheduled hearing.  The need for continued detention is reviewed at each subsequent hearing through final disposition of the youth’s case.  Children may only be held in secured detention in accordance with Ohio’s juvenile rules of arrest and detention, for their own protection from an immediate threat, for the protection of other persons and/or their property, if they are likely to abscond the jurisdiction of the Court, or if there is no parent/guardian/agency that can provide them with adequate control and supervision.  Additionally, the Juvenile Court may order a youth into secured detention for a period not to exceed 90 days for the purposes of completing a social history or pre-dispositional report and as a final dispositional order as a consequence for criminal acts or non-compliance with established terms and conditions.

Upon entry into the secured detention facility all youth are administered basic mental and physical health screens to identify needs and ensure their safety while a resident of the Center.  Mental health screens are reviewed daily by a licensed social worker and follow-up contact is made on an as-needed basis.  Physical health screens are reviewed daily by correctional nurses provided by the Allen County Sheriff’s Office.  Residents detained at their initial detention hearing are then administered a detailed health screen and physical examination by the nursing staff.  All health screens are reviewed by the facility’s medical doctor on a weekly basis in addition to providing services, examinations, and medical treatment as needed.  Residents of the Center can easily identify and define the roles of the facility’s staff members by their appearance and job duties.  Operational staff are uniformed corrections officers trained in tending to the basic needs of the residents with a primary focus on maintaining the safety and security of the facility for the staff, residents, and public.  Programmatic staff are identified by their professional, office casual, attire and are trained to interact with the residents in a therapeutic, instructional, and educational manner with a focus on personal attention and needs.

Daily life in the Detention Program includes a focus on education with residents receiving 5 ½ hours of structured educational activities each day during the school year.  Residents of the Detention Program are also afforded individual and group intervention opportunities as well as other activities including arts and crafts, computer classes, organized recreational programs, leisure time, and guest speakers.  The opportunity for visitation with a parent and/or legal guardian is provided three times per week.  Special visitations are sometimes authorized for other interested parties such as grandparents, mentors, athletic coaches, and school personnel.  Residents of the Detention Program are permitted unlimited visitation with their attorneys and/or guardian-ad-litem.  Non-denominational church services are provided on a weekly basis with participation being voluntary.  The opportunity for additional faith-based services are provided throughout the week by area chapters of Teens-For-Christ and Young Life, also with participation being voluntary.

A minimum of three staff members, including at least one male and one female, are on duty providing twenty-four hour supervision within the detention center at all times.  Center staff are trained in first-aid, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, emergency medical procedures, blood borne pathogens, admission & release procedures, unarmed self defense, non-violent physical restraint, crises intervention, suicide interventions, verbal de-escalation, the prison rape elimination act, supervision of juveniles, Juvenile Court rules and procedures, rights and responsibilities of juveniles, report writing, safety procedures,  security procedures, response to resistance (use of force), child growth and development, cultural awareness, and other operational procedures.

The Detention Program’s primary objective is to provide a humane environment for youth that is safe, secure, and structured, which provides for their daily needs and encourages them by example to make positive changes in their lives.

Treatment Program

The Treatment Program of the Walter J. Roush Rehabilitation Wing is a multi-faceted, evidenced based, cognitive-behavioral series of interventions designed to help youth identify personal attitudes and behaviors which led to their involvement with the Allen County Juvenile Court.  A youth may enter the Treatment Program only by dispositional order of the Court after having been adjudicated to be a delinquent child for having committed either misdemeanor or felony level crimes.  Residents entering the Treatment Program undergo multiple physical, mental, and emotional health screens as well as risk/needs assessments to determine appropriate levels of service and interventions and to aid with the development and management of an individual case plan.  Individual and family counseling services are provided by a Licensed Psychologist who also provides clinical supervision, oversight, and quality assurance of group counseling services provided by Intervention Specialists employed by the Court and other therapeutic services provided through collaborative efforts with community partners such as the Family Resource Centers.  The day to day operation and management of the program is overseen by the Director and Deputy Director of Treatment/Detention Services.  Academic instruction is provided under the supervision of the Academic Coordinator, licensed Teachers, and Academic Specialists.  Additionally, tutoring services are made available to assist those students with special academic needs through Title I funding provided by the Shawnee Local School District.

Working in conjunction with the Probation Department, School, and various network and/or community agencies, in addition to the resident’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s), a “treatment team” is assembled for each resident entering the program.  The Treatment Team, which includes the resident, is ultimately responsible for developing an individualized treatment plan and for providing the therapeutic and academic interventions offered by the program.  Individual, family, and group counseling coupled with the internalization of pro-social behavior and activities are the primary focus of the rehabilitative process.  Residents must complete a portfolio designed around their needs in conjunction with a plethora of assignments related to empathy building and gaining an understanding of their offenses and the many affects of their decisions.  Understanding that a positive change in a youth’s behavior cannot be maintained without the support of the parent(s) or guardian(s), participation in a weekly parent support group is mandatory.  Taking into consideration that true success in the program cannot be measured until the resident is reintegrated back into the community and their home environment, residents go through a series of earned passes of increasing length during which they complete empathy building or other restorative justice based assignments culminating in an extended pass whereby they remain home until either successful completion of the program or the need to return  to the secured center arises as the result of non-compliant behavior.

In addition to the intense counseling, the Treatment Program emphasizes medical, dental and personal hygiene issues.  Residents of the Treatment Program are afforded all of the same basic medical, emotional, mental health, academic, recreational, and spiritual services as those afforded to residents of the Detention Program.  In addition to those activities offered to detention residents, treatment residents may earn the ability to leave the secured facility for the purpose of attending educational field trips, vocational training, academic passes, counseling sessions with private providers, and completion of community service assignments or projects.  This, combined with dietary plans for wholesome and nutritional meals underscores the Center’s philosophy of providing a comprehensive approach to individualized holistic treatment.