Juvenile Assessment Center
History
In the spring of 2001 the Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) / Juvenile Intake Center (JIC)
opened as the result of a recognized need for a centralized intake, booking, and
assessment facility in Jefferson Parish. The JAC/JIC is a combination of financial,
personnel, and planning resources between the Department of Juvenile Services, Juvenile
Court, Sheriff’s Office, Public School System, and District Attorney’s Office. Resources
are centrally located to overcome traditional barriers during juvenile arrest intake
and to facilitate the process and information flow between and among child serving
agencies in the Parish.
Staff
The staff of the Center includes a multi-disciplinary team of professionals who work
in concert to provide a comprehensive intake process, and consists of case managers,
correctional officers, a school liaison worker, and administrative and supervisory
oversight from involved agencies.
Juvenile Intake
The juvenile intake component is a centralized intake/booking center that coordinates
the flow of arrested juveniles in the Parish. Six municipal law enforcement agencies
(Grand Isle, Gretna, Harahan, Kenner, Lafitte, Westwego) and the Jefferson Parish
Sheriff’s Office transport arrested juveniles to the facility for booking, photographing
and fingerprinting (as applicable) and the detention status is determined. Juveniles
are assigned risk scores depending on their threat to the community. Depending upon
their score juveniles are either returned to their parents or placed in detention.
Juvenile Assessments
Serving as the critical component of juvenile offender screening and assessment, the juvenile
assessment component screens juvenile offenders at the time of arrest. Using a locally-developed
instrument, known as the MAJOR (Multi-faceted Assessment of Juvenile Offender Risk),
case managers assess for a variety of juvenile risk and protective factors. Once
needs are identified, case managers develop a list of community-based referrals
to address those factors.
Access to Services
Serving as a hub of information for juvenile offenders, case managers network with community-based
agencies to access services for juveniles and their families. The school liaison
networks with school personnel to access school-based services.