Juvenile Detention

Latest News

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• U.S Department of Justice Juvenile Justice Bulletin
• Vera Institute of Justice

Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Greene County Juvenile Detention Center to treat all juveniles who enter through its doors with compassion, dignity and respect, and to provide a safe and secure environment for all residents and staff.

Overview of Detention

The Family Court - Juvenile Division operates a secure 24 bed residential Detention Center to house juveniles coming within the jurisdiction of the Court for alleged law violations or by Court Order. Youth are detained in the Center because they may pose a threat to the community or be at risk for failure to appear in court. Greene County Juvenile Detention Center is a participating Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) site.

Admission Process

Within 1 hour: Juvenile rights are read by staff and reviewed with the juvenile, a medical and mental health assessment will be completed, and all personal property will be inventoried and stored.

Within 4 hours: A visual search will be completed by staff and juveniles will have the opportunity to shower and are placed in a secure room for observation.

Within 48 hours: Juvenile is seen by a licenesed nurse to be medically cleared by a psychological counselor. The resident is then oriented by staff so that they can join other residents in detention programming.

School

We have a wonderful partnership with Springfield Public Schools who provide us with a full time teacher, a teacher's aid and a Title I reading teacher. Our school operates on the same schedule as Springfield R-12. All residents are tested and given materials that correspond with their tested grade level. We encourage parents to bring in work from their home school if possible. It will be the responsibility of the parents to return all compelted work to that school. All residents will be expected to go to school daily and show 100% effort.

Other services available

Counseling services, substance abuse group, non-demoninational church services, recreational services, art, food service, medical services, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and other detention programming.

Forms Available

Please clik here to view the available forms.

Information for Parents

Once a juvenile is admitted, the resident will be allowed to make an initial phone call and have an initial visit. Initial visits may be made at any reasonable time and do not need to be scheduled. You will need to bring up a photo ID. Only parents and/or legal guardians are allowed to visit. Siblings and other family members are not allowed to visit unless given special permission from the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent of Detention. Residents are allowed one 10 minute phone call a day and are only allowed to speak to parents and/or legal guardians. Failure to abide by these rules can result in phone and visit privileges suspended.

Visiting Schedule:
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 3:15-4:55. Visits are 15 minutes long in duration.

Phone calls:
Incoming and Outgoing calls-3:00p-9:00p

Parents will also need to sign a medical release form and a mail form so that residents can receive and send out mail. Postage will need to be provided by parents.

Parents will also be asked to bring any prescribed medication the juvenile will need while being housed. Medication will be dispensed as prescribed on the bottle by our Deputy Juvenile Officers.

Staff is available 24/7/365 to provide for the needs of the residents.

FAQ

How long will my child be detained?
A youth must appear before the court within 3 business days for a detention hearing. The juvenile will appear before a judge to determine if the juvenile can be released or be held in detention. If the youth is ordered held, the length of stay will depend on the on the charges pending and when the hearing is scheduled.

What happens to my child once he/she is released from detention?
Youth leave the Detention Center either on Probation, in order to go to a residential facility or Evening Reporting Center, after being committed to the Missouri Division of Youth Services or being certified as an adult.

Any other questions please refer to the resident handbook or contact the detention center.