Juvenile Services

Juvenile Delinquency Unit

Since 2001, 180 Degrees, Inc. has contracted with Ramsey County to provide juvenile probation case management services. Ramsey County recognized the need for specialized services for juveniles who face multiple barriers. Under the umbrella of Ramsey County Human Services, case managers work with juveniles placed on probation through the Juvenile Court. Case managers report the progress of a youth directly with the juvenile court. The goal is to provide community-based services that will address the needs of these juveniles and reduce placement.

Case Managers work with any juvenile placed on probation involved in a Human Services program such as Child Protection or Children’s Mental Health. Case Managers work closely with other Human Services workers to develop a plan that ensures clients will be successful in the community. At the same time, Case Managers are responsible for holding juveniles accountable if he/she fails to follow through with programming in the community.

Through partnership with Ramsey County Humans Services, 180 Degrees, Inc. has helped reduce costly and often unnecessary out-of-home placements. Over the past seven years placement costs have dramatically declined. As a community-based agency, 180 Degrees, Inc. knows the community and services available and utilizes out-of-home placement as a measure of last-resort. By contracting with a non-profit agency, Ramsey County has reduced costs associated with out-of-home placement.

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Total Placements and Children Open in JDU: 2002-2005

Working in tandem with Ramsey County employees, 180 Degrees, Inc. and the Juvenile Delinquency Unit reduced the total number of youth in out-of home placement despite increases in the number of youth referred. 180 Degrees, Inc. strongly believes that out-of-home placement should always be a last resort.

Average Length of Placement Reductions: 2002 – 2005

In addition to reducing the total number out-of-home placements, the Juvenile Delinquency Unit has also been successful in reducing the average length of stay for youth who are placed out-of-home. When it is necessary to place you out-of-home it is also necessary to ensure that youth are monitored, supported and encouraged to return to their communities when appropriate.

Recidivism Rate 2005

In 2005 the recidivism rate for youth referred to the Juvenile Delinquency Unit was only 22%. That means that of the nearly 700 youth referred 78% of those youth had not reoffended within a year after their cases were closed, demonstrating that keeping kids in the communities produces positive outcomes.

Reducing Out Of Home Placement Costs 2002-2005

180 Degrees, Inc. and Ramsey County have successfully reduced the total cost to the county for out-of-home placement. This cost reduction occurred despite an increase in the number of youth referred to the Juvenile Delinquency Unit. 180 Degrees, Inc. in partnership with Ramsey County has successfully reduced the total number of out-of-home placements, reduced the average length of stay for youth in out-of-home placement and helped keep kids accountable in their communities. The relationship between 180 Degrees, Inc. and Ramsey County is an example of an innovative and successful public private partnership.

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Resiliency Mentoring

The Resiliency Mentoring program work with girls and boys, ages 9-17, who are in need of supportive services, at high risk for out-of-home placement, in residential, community-based placement, or returning to the community from residential treatment. In 2002, 180 Degrees, Inc. was awarded a Continuum of Care grant from the Department of Corrections to implement a gender-specific program for females involved in the juvenile justice system. Our program focused on providing individual and group mentoring that addressed the specific needs of girls. In a one-year period, 80% of the girls who participated in the program did not re-offend, or were discharged from probation. As a result of the success in the first year, we expanded our program to work with males and females outside of the juvenile justice system. Our mentoring program’s philosophic premise maintains that connecting youth with a supportive adult, and providing a safe place for youth to address their needs and develop skills to be successful life improve course outcomes. We continue to match girls and boys with individual mentors and provide group mentoring to girls in the community using the Girls Circle model and the Voices curriculum.

Our Resiliency Mentoring Staff works in collaboration with social workers, probation officers, and families to provide Mentoring Services for adolescent females involved with Children’s Mental Health, Child Protection, Probation, and other Social Services Programs.

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Teen Parenting Groups

Being a parent can be difficult at times, learning how to properly care for and nurture a baby or toddler, not to mention the teen years. Even the most well adjusted adult may have times when it seems all too overwhelming. Now, imagine that you are between 12-18 years of age and find out that you are pregnant. The emotions that are felt can range from confusion, denial to severe depression. The reality is that 34% of girls become pregnant at least once before the age of 20. Teenage pregnancy and parenting can pose many challenges for both young women and the young fathers who are experiencing their own feelings.

The 180 Degrees, Inc. Teen Parenting program provides services to both young women and young men who are pregnant or parenting in Ramsey County. The goal is to offer emotional and mental support in a constructive and structured group setting. The program also offers additional support in the areas of life skills and parenting workshops. The focus of services includes all identified family members in order to build a support network that will assist young parents to become successful adults and responsible parents.

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Juvenile Re-entry

Triple C - Caring, Coaching and Capacity Building

Triple C-Caring/Coaching/Capacity Building was developed in 2004 to work with juveniles transitioning from MCF-Red Wing. Youth approaching release are assigned a Juvenile Re-entry Specialist. The Juvenile Re-Entry Specialist begins meeting with youth once they have reach pre-release status. The Juvenile Re-Entry Specialist continues working with the client for six months after they are released from MCF-Redwing.

The primary goal in the pre-release setting is engagement of the youth and relationship building with Re-entry Specialist. A post-release plan is constructed with the Red Wing Transition Case Manager, client’s probation officer and client to focus on building strengths and developing skills to live successfully in the community. The Community Specialist does not utilize traditional correctional accountability approaches but instead works as a liaison between the juvenile and community to foster proactive capacity building.

Juveniles are more likely to be successful in the community once they have built a relationship with the Community Specialist who is there to guide and provide support in the community. Through a focus on capacity building, case plans are tailored towards each youth’s need areas and developing skills such as conflict resolution and decision making skills that he can use to become a contributing member of society.

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School Based Intervention & Prevention

In 2008, 180 Degrees, Inc. began working with the St. Paul Public Schools and the Suburban Ramsey Collaborative to provide school based intervention and case management for youth involved with the juvenile justice system or at risk of involvement.

Suburban Ramsey Collaborative

180 Degrees, Inc.’s case manager also works with Suburban Ramsey Collaborative to address the needs of youth at the earliest possible indication of delinquent behavior to prevent youth from progressing into justice system involvement. The 180 Degrees, Inc. case manager provides intensive case management to at risk youth who are referred by school social workers in Districts 621, 622, 623 and 624. With both the On Track Program and the Suburban Ramsey Collaborative, case managers develop specialized case plans to target areas where students may be experiencing difficulty with family, peers, drug use or mental health.

On Track

The Ontrack program is housed in the Ramsey County Human Services building in the Juvenile Delinquency Unit. The Ontrack case managers work intensely with youth that have been placed on juvenile probation for the status offense of truancy, and provide support and accountability to the youth and their families. The Ontrack case managers confer with school officials, parents, and other caregivers to determine what community based programs and services would be appropriate based on the youth’s needs. With the help and support of Ontrack case management, youth and their families are encouraged to overcome barriers to improve the youth?s education engagement, attendance, and performance. Case manager’s also work in collaboration with the Ramsey County Truancy Intervention Program.

Detention Alternative’s

Evening Learning Center

In partnership with the Cultural Wellness Center and the YWCA of St. Paul, 180 Degrees, Inc. operates an Evening Learning Center to offer an alternative to detention for youth living in the 55106 zip code and surrounding areas. The goal of the program is to provide a short–term – five to thirty day – community–based and culturally proficient alternative that keeps youth out of detention and in their communities. The Evening Learning center allows juveniles to receive programming and services, to be monitored and held accountable in their homes and in their community while protecting the community from further criminal activity. The Evening Learning Center serves clients between the hours of 3:00pm and 10:00pm Mondays through Fridays.

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Community Support Program

180 Degrees, Inc. partners with Ramsey County Human Services to offer community support and supervision. The goal of the Community Support/Supervision Program is to provide additional community support to children and families who have struggled to complete court ordered conditions through traditional methods. In accordance with the mission of Children and Family services, CSP serves as an alternative to costly out-of-home placements and detention. CSP allows the juvenile court the option of withholding adjudication while holding youth accountable in the community. This offers the youth an opportunity to avoid the barriers created by a permanent record. CSP also supports youth through transportation assistance, organizing and coordinating services and in preparing youth for employment opportunities.

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Community Coach

Community Coaching provides a short term alternative to detention. Community Coaches offer a high level of culturally specific individualized supervision for pre and post-disposition youth as an alternative to placement at the Juvenile Detention Center. Community Coaches are community-based responses for youth identified in pending delinquency proceedings and who would otherwise be in secure detention, in placement for a probation violation, or have a court sanction.
The Community Coaches work with pre-adjudicated, adjudicated, pre-dispositional, and post-dispositional boys between the ages 10-17 referred by Community Corrections as an alternative to detention. The Coaches monitor, support and link the youth to community-based services and activities up to and through their initial court hearing. The Coach also serve as a short-term intervention for youth who are at risk of a probation violation that may result in detention or other out-of-home placement.
The Community Coach’s role is to: intervene with youth who are already involved in delinquent behavior in an effort to prevent repeat behavior or escalation and to monitor youth in their community while awaiting trial or other hearing.

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Student Offender Accountability Program (SOAP)

In partnership with Dakota County and Jason Sole consulting (www.jasonsole.com) 180 Degrees, Inc. works with the Student Offender Accountability Program to improve educational and life outcome for youth who are involved in the Juvenile Justice System. SOAP uses a strength-based approach to engage youth struggling in the classroom. Lesson plans consist of a mixture of storytelling and kinesthetic activities to engage both the left and right side of developing adolescent brain. Students and educators are taught the importance of the ‘sandwich effect’, which requires simultaneously developing skills to address conflict while addressing interpersonal skills.

Children’s Mental Health

Wrap-Around Facilitation Services (WRAP)

180 Degrees, Inc. provides Wrap-Around Facilitation Services (WRAP) to youth and their families in partnership with Dakota County Social Services. Wraparound Facilitators offer a comprehensive service approach for youth who have a mental health diagnosis and a history of chronic violent behavior and are at risk of moving into a more restrictive academic or out-of-home placement environment. The youth and families who receive WRAP services have multiple systems involved in their lives. The goal of WRAP services are to eliminate barriers to familial reunification that often lead to out-of-home placement, eliminate/reduce behavioral risks, assist youth and their families in accessing community-based resources and informal support networks, develop transition plans to assist in reintegration of youth from out-of-home placement and to engage clients through culturally competent services. The WRAP facilitator is responsible for assuring that the youth?s needs and the entities responsible for addressing them are identified and coordinated.

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