Guiding Principles of JOCHS

JOCHS has three guiding principles:

• Community: Juveniles are not separate from their communities; they are a part of them, even when they are temporarily placed in detention centers. Community means creating a health care delivery system for all children and youth that includes prevention and education, multiple entry points for care, and community-based behavioral health assessment and treatment options for youth.
• Connectivity: Detention centers can help connect juveniles in new ways with existing community services, such as health care, counseling, and addiction treatment. When probation agencies engage the services of community health providers that deliver care in the broader community, youth have the opportunity to receive the care they need where they need it (in detention or in community clinics) and when they need it (before, during, or after detention).
• Continuity: As part of the community, detention centers can serve as a starting point for building enduring relationships between juveniles and community service providers that support young people’s ongoing rehabilitation and development. Continuity is dependent on whether and how connectivity has been established between the juvenile detention center and community health providers. Interagency collaboration is key to establishing the framework for continuity of care in the community.

The ultimate goals of these principles are to support rehabilitation, improve public health and public safety, and reduce recidivism by creating stable connections for juveniles within their communities.