Program Purpose The Department of Juvenile Services is currently mandated and operated by the state of Maryland. In 1967 when the Department of Juvenile Services became official, it was responsible for running the camps and boys centers. In 1969, the Department shifted from the authority of the State Department of Public Works to being overseen by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as Juvenile Service Administration (JSA). By 1987, the JSA was an independent agency and was named Department of Juvenile Service in 1989. (Department of Juvenile Service, n.d) Target Population The Department of Juvenile Services services maladjusted /delinquent youth up to age twenty-one. If already involved in the juvenile system, the youth can continue to receive services until 21 however if youth are involved in new offenses at age 18, they will be processed in the adult jurisdiction. Program Operations …show more content…
When a child enters the system he/she can be processed through several different departments within the DJS system. A referral to the Juvenile system can be a result of an arrest by officer, a complaint by a citizen, school, parent or a referral from another agency. Youth can be referred for delinq uency matters or diversion services. Once the youth encounters the Department, he or she will be taken to the Intake Department of DJS. Here, a Detention Risk Assessment Instrument (DRAI) is utilized to determine if the youth requires detainment for court the next day. After this happens, the intake officer determines how the case should be handled. There are several options ranging from “legally insufficient up to “formal authorization: which means the case will be sent to the Baltimore City States Attorney’s officer to petition the youth for court. (Department of Juvenile Services,