CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County will soon open its first community correctional facility for juveniles, focusing on rehabilitation and treatment.
The move comes after the county was awarded $30 million late last year for the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court system following recommendations from the Juvenile Justice Working Group, created by Gov. Mike DeWine.
According to the Ohio Department of Youth Services, the group found that, of the 11 DYS-funded community correctional facilities in Ohio, none are located in the three counties that commit the most youth to the Department of Youth Services (DYS).
Walter Patton founded Ghetto Therapy, using different types of activities to help community members with their mental health, especially young people.
"What I see with these youth is that they're growing up in these environments that they have no control over,” said Patton.
He wants to see more resources for youth, especially those who get into trouble, but says meaningful change requires community involvement.
"No matter what intervention, prevention, if it's not someone that looked like them in their environment, they're not going to change,” said Patton.
This week, Cuyahoga County Council approved the plan to turn the Metzenbaum Center into a community correctional facility for juveniles using the $30 million awarded to the Juvenile Court.
“So, the community correctional facility is funded by the Ohio Department of Youth Services. It is a smaller, much more treatment-oriented alternative to ODYS, which is a youth prison system," said Bridget Gibbons, the deputy court administrator for Juvenile Court.
Gibbons said the 32-bed facility for boys and girls will be the first of its kind in the county, with a focus on care, treatment and rehabilitation, but also closer to home.
"The folks working in the facility will be people from the community that a lot of the young people are coming from. It will allow us to really have families, be able to go to family therapy, be engaged in aftercare and reentry planning,” said Gibbons.
They will target those ages 16 to 18 who are facing felony-level offenses, especially cases involving guns, assaults, or thefts.
"The curriculum we're going to design there is going to really address a history of trauma. It's going to address young people who've witnessed violence in their community, have been victims of violence. It's going to address, you know, some of that thinking that leads them to do things that are risky, or pick up guns or hang out with a negative peer group,” said Gibbons.
Gabriella Celeste, policy director at the Schubert Center for Child Studies, served on the governor’s Juvenile Justice Working Group. She said the group recognized these facilities as a critical part of the continuum of care for young people.
"Kids have an incredible capacity for growth, so the value of having them in a facility that is resourced in a way that recognizes that they are not just coming back to the community, but they're still a part of our community,” said Celeste.
Patton says he is not against the idea, but wants to ensure the community has a real voice in the work.
"In order for systems to come into community, they must collaborate with community to understand how community work,” said Patton.
Currently, there are 10 facilities like this across Ohio, but none in Cleveland, Columbus, or Cincinnati. This project would be the first for one of Ohio’s three major cities. The goal is to break ground this fall and open the facility by 2028.
Nadeen Abusada is a Cuyahoga County and immigration reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Instagram NadeenAbusada or email her at Nadeen.Abusada@wews.com.
