The Ohio Department of Youth Services school district provides educational programs and services to help youth develop competencies needed to re-enter their home communities as productive citizens.  The ODYS school district is a chartered school district and serves students in grades 6 – 12.

The basic academic program includes the core curriculum (mathematics, English, science and social studies), electives, student assessment and testing, guidance and library services that meet graduation requirements of the Ohio Department of Education.

The DYS School District operates year-round serving students with academic, special education and career-tech programs.  Through career-tech programming the students are taught life skills and employability skills.  Nearly forty career-tech programs are offered that teach the students how to get and keep a job and the meaning of a strong work ethic. Many of these programs focus on life skills training such as: personal development, career-based intervention and transitions.  There are also many career-tech hands-on job training programs that include administrative office tech, framing and roofing, auto technology, horticulture and graphic arts.

Special Education Services are provided to all eligible students in strict compliance with state and federal regulations.  To the maximum extent appropriate with the goal to enable access to the regular curriculum, students with special needs are educated within basic academic education classrooms.  Resource rooms provide more restrictive learning environments for those students requiring smaller classroom settings with more intensive individualized instruction.  Related services such as speech therapy are also provided according to the individual education plan.

The ODYS school district receives Title 1 funds to provide supplemental intervention services to at-risk students lacking in basic literacy and math skills.  Title 1 teachers provide supplemental services in basic academic classrooms to help students be more successful and to assist in preparing students to pass the Ohio Graduation Test or the GED.   These services are designed to facilitate the transition of students into the community.

The Bureau of Medical Care and Dietary Services under the direction of the Medical and Nursing Directors plans directs, organizes, evaluates, and coordinates all phases of statewide juvenile correctional health care programs and services to the Department’s seven (7) institutions, six (6) regional offices, a Residential Treatment Facility and the Central Medical Facility (CMF).   The Nursing Director provides functional supervision for all institutional Health Services Administrators.

The Bureau employees two Medical Program Administrators to monitor activities within the Regions, and provides indirect supervision (in coordination with regional staff) of youth requiring medical/psychiatric continuity upon release to parole, monitor the agency’s health service Quality Review Program, and release of medical information and records. The Bureau staff also monitors the institutional sites to ensure compliance with all state and federal requirements, the American Correctional Association’s (ACA) Performance Based Health Care Standards, and adherence to agency health care policies. 

The Department provided twenty-four (24) hour nursing coverage in all institutions and staffing patterns are consistent with the various youth populations and adolescent health care needs.   The Bureau staff is involved in the providing primary care and monitoring of skilled nursing at the Central Medical Facility (CMF) for youth with pre and post-operative conditions and for youth in need of medical isolation, medical observation, and psychiatric observation. In-patient care is also provided at the CMF for youth with complicated pregnancies or post-partum recovery. The Bureau also provides consultation services to Detention Centers and Community Correctional Facilities as requested.

When youth are admitted to the Department the institutional medical staff completes a comprehensive in-take assessment and examination at reception to identify medical needs, and to screen for mental health and substance abuse service issues. This assessment is incorporated into the development of an individualized care plan and provides the framework for follow-up care health education, and counseling. Youth and non-medical staff, when appropriate, are involved in the planning process.

The Bureau staff spearheaded the development of the new American Correctional Association (ACA) Performance Based Health Care Standards, Expected Practices, and Outcome Measures and has been instrumental in field-testing these new standards. To date all DYS medical facilities have received accreditation by ACA using these standards, thus becoming the first facilities to receive this national recognition.  A close relationship with the Ohio Department of Health has fostered development of, and staff participation in, ongoing infectious disease and public health oriented programs.

Dietary Services
The Bureau of Medical Care and Dietary Services employees a Registered and Licensed Dietician.  The Dietician is responsible for coordinating and overseeing all phases of statewide juvenile correctional food service operations to ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state guidelines and regulations.  The Dietician provides functional supervision for all intuitional Food Service Managers.

Juveniles committed to the Department receive daily meals that are nutritionally balanced, meet specific standards for key nutrition’s and calories, comply with dietary guidelines for adolescents, the National School Lunch Program (NSLA) Guidelines and the American Correctional Association (ACA) Standards. 

The Dietician maintains a four (4) week cycle menu to ensure that meals meets established governmental health and safety regulations and codes.  Special meals are provided to juveniles, including therapeutic diets as prescribed by a physician and religious diets for those whose beliefs require the adherence to religious dietary laws. Therapeutic and/or religious diets account for 10 % of the daily meal and snack count.   The average meal cost for each juvenile to provide meals that meet their basic nutritional needs per day is $4.24.

The Bureau of Behavioral Health Services provides oversight and technical assistance to institutions in the areas of Social, Sex Offender, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health Services.  Technical and consultative support to the Reception Center and the Bureau of Parole in these areas are also provided.  This Bureau is responsible for ensuring that programs are available that meet the assessment and program needs of youth and are considerate of best practice standards.   Through the establishment and monitoring of policies and procedures, the Bureau ensures that American Correctional Association and standards necessitated by the Ohio Revised code are met.  In addition, the Bureau ensures that hiring practices and work product of staff meet all state professional and ethical guidelines.    There is a commitment to enhancing staff skills through training opportunities and on-sight assistance.  Moreover, this Bureau is involved in a number of inter- and intra- agency collaborative efforts to enhance services to youth within the department and upon the youth’s return to the community.  Ultimately, the primary goal of this Bureau is to provide interventions, programs and treatment that challenge the thinking patterns and actions of youth to assist them in being productive citizens.

Reception Center

Reception goal is to provide a screening assessment on every newly committed or recommitted youth to ODYS.  Program areas of assessment include medical, social services, mental health, substance abuse, education, religion, and recreation.  In addition, an abbreviated or a comprehensive reassessment (as deemed necessary) is completed on revocators.  Using information from the completed assessments, staff are able to identify security risk classification levels and the most appropriate program interventions youth will require once transferred to the parent institution.

Social Services

Social workers have multiple roles, interrelated and interdependent in the various processes throughout a youth’s commitment to ODYS.  Beginning with the Reception Center , social workers are integral in the comprehensive assessment process with the administration of several instruments or services inclusive of the Juvenile Automated Substance Abuse Evaluation, the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol, a social history interview and  a Level of Service Inventory screen for the establishment of security risk levels. At the institutional level  social workers continue to provide a myriad of services from conducting intake interviews, developing individual case plans, facilitating cognitive-behavioral/ psycho-educational groups, providing individual counseling, hosting staffings and overseeing case-management responsibilities.  

Sex Offender Services

All adjudicated sex offenders or offenders committed on a sexually oriented offense are provided a sex offender assessment at Reception to determine the level of treatment need.  The Department provides three levels of sex offender treatment including a 12 to 18 month institutional High Needs sex offender program, a 5 to 6 month Moderate Needs program and a 10 to 12 week group program for Low Needs sex offenders.  The Bureau of Behavioral Health Services Administrators oversee the programming to ensure best practices are used, training is current and assessment processes are standardized.

Substance Abuse

The Office of Substance Abuse Services provides essential information to institutional and regional staff to address substance abuse issues with youth in the Department’s care. The office provides essential assessments, programs and training to assist staff in the education, intervention, and the treatment of high numbers of youth who are exhibiting serious, chronic and life threatening problems as a result of their use and abuse of substances. The office further is involved in data collection and development of measuring outcomes, updating/developing and maintaining policies and standard operating procedures in accordance to ACA standards.  Some of the current services for substance abuse intervention include, assessments, residential treatment, Therapeutic Community, Chemical Dependency Intervention Units, drug testing, and aftercare programming.

Mental Health

The Bureau of Behavioral Health Services is responsible for the provision of psychology and psychiatry services while youth are in the institution and provide over-sight to these services when youth are on aftercare.   The youth entering DYS span the entire mental health continuum, from no psychological difficulties to severe mental illness. At any given time, 30% of the youth in DYS institutions are on the mental health caseload. By definition, this means they are being seen on an ongoing basis by psychology and/or psychiatry.  At the point of entry to the Reception Center , all youth receive a psychological assessment with the possibility of referral to psychiatry for further evaluation for medication if warranted. Upon transfer to the institution there are varying levels of mental health treatment services available to assist the youth in becoming stable and productive within their institutional environment.

Youth on the mental health caseload are classified as severely, moderately, or mildly mentally ill. In general, these youth are matched to a tiered system of delivery of care that consists of:

• An Intensive Mental Health Unit (IMHU) for male youth at Marion Juvenile Correctional Facility
• An Intensive Mental Health Program for females at Scioto Juvenile Correctional Facility  (projected to open June 2007)