Clark County could open juvenile assessment center as early as October

A space devoted to diminishing the number of juveniles in the justice system through early intervention could open as early as October in Clark County.

The concept of the new “juvenile assessment center” is to refer at-risk youth early on to resources including counseling, substance abuse treatment and emergency housing to reduce the chances that they spiral into a situation where they end up in the justice system.

John “Jack” Martin, director of Clark County Juvenile Justice Services, said the assessment could reveal underlying issues. For example, it might show that a child is hungry and struggling in school.

He said assessment staff then could help refer the child to a tutor and refer the parents to services such as Medicaid, a food bank or the Women, Infants, and Children supplemental nutrition program.

“A lot of the things that affect our children are low-level things,” Martin said. “But when you put them all together, if you string them all together, they lead to negative consequences for children.”

Martin is working to build partnerships with the faith-based community, law enforcement, nonprofit groups and local government leaders so that anyone can refer youth and their families to the center.

It’s estimated to cost $750,000 a year to keep the center open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., when low-level delinquency is most likely to occur, he said. Having the center open 24 hours a day, seven days a week would cost an estimated $1.8 million.

Funding is not finalized but will come from Juvenile Justice Services, its partner agencies or grants. Partners include the Metropolitan Police Department, the North Las Vegas Police Department, the Clark County School District and the Clark County district attorney’s office.

The center’s hours ultimately will depend on the amount of funding it receives. Metro has tentatively offered up space at its training facility on the corner of Mojave Road and Washington Avenue for the center, which will serve youth under 18.

Brigid Duffy, director of the juvenile division of the district attorney’s office, said the center could help provide more immediate intervention and prevent youth from committing more offenses.

Typically, in juvenile cases involving low-level misdemeanors, a citation could be issued, but a meeting with a probation officer might not come for several weeks, Duffy said.

Martin said he has talked to youth in the justice system about whether they would go to an assessment center. He decided to change the name from “Juvenile Assessment Center” to “The Harbor,” because they told him they wouldn’t want to go to the former.

After visiting a center in Portland, Oregon, several years ago, Martin concluded that the concept could work in Clark County. Martin also visited Colorado, which has multiple centers, and said some of those centers provided inspiration for Clark County’s center.

Ultimately, Martin said, the county could benefit from multiple centers.

Reached by phone Thursday, Craig McPherson, program director with the Jefferson County Juvenile Assessment Center in Colorado, said the center assesses youth and refers families to relevant services.

The Jefferson County center has been open since 1996 and was created in response to increased youth violence in the early 1990s.

McPherson said the centers in Colorado have a good reputation, and people have come from as far as Australia to study them.

Whether the juvenile has an issue with drugs, anger or theft, the center serves as a space where staff who are “a bit removed from the situation” can take a look at what’s going on, he said.

“We’re able to try and hook that family up with some services they may not be aware of,” McPherson said. “We do this for free.”

McPherson’s center has had 3,000 cases in the last year, some involving the same youth.

“We want to be proactive instead of reactive,” he said. “We really want to prevent juveniles from entering the juvenile justice system.”

Contact Alexander S. Corey at acorey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270. Find @acoreynews on Twitter.