Juvenile Services | San Juan County, NM

In collaboration with District Court, CYFD Juvenile Justice Services & Protective Services, Law Enforcement, School Districts, New Mexico Counties, and Service Providers, it is the mission of the San Juan County Juvenile Services Center to promote a juvenile justice system that is effective and efficient at identifying and intervening with at-risk youth to prevent youth from becoming serious, violent, or chronic offenders.

The Juvenile Services Center provides programs and support for our community by embracing a balance of prevention, intervention, and advocacy for families and adolescents in San Juan County. The Juvenile Services Center is a multi-faceted facility co-located with CYFD Juvenile Probation and the 11th Judicial District Court. Serving adolescents with behavioral, mental health, and substance abuse needs. The facility provides a central location to address juvenile issues related to detention, shelter, treatment, juvenile probation, and judicial services.

The primary function of the Center is to facilitate collaboration and communication among all governmental and non-profit agencies working with adolescents. Providing this service promotes system efficiency, facilitates access to services, and assists youth and families achieve successful outcomes.

Staff Goals and Training

All new Juvenile Detention Officers complete 6 weeks of training to include 40-Hour Detention Officer orientation training. The new staff is supervised and trained by experienced staff assigned as Training Officers. All staff are First Aid/CPR/AED certified through the National Safety Council. Staff also receive specialized training in Handle With Care (HWC), verbal de-escalation and safe physical management. Staff is trained in the practice and principals of Direct Supervision. Staff receive annual and semi-annual training to maintain proficiency and licensing standards. Staff training is overseen by the facility Training Specialist.

Staff members are responsible for providing the highest quality of the care, safety, and security to all youth receiving services at the Center. The San Juan County Juvenile Detention Center, Crisis Shelter, and Treatment Program are certified annually by standards set by the Children, Youth & Families Department.

Required Training:

Child Abuse and Neglect

Trauma Informed Care

Suicide prevention

Handle With Care

First Aid/CPR/AED

Safe Physical Management

Verbal De-escalation

Direct Supervision

PREA

Emergency Procedures

Searches

Professionalism and Ethics

Cultural Diversity

Report Writing

Interpersonal Communications

Juvenile Rights

Secure Detention

The objective of juvenile detention is to provide a secure, safe, and structured environment for juveniles aged twelve (12) to eighteen (18). Ensuring compliance with facility policies and procedures, State and Federal laws and CYFD juvenile detention standards.The 47-bed secure detention facility is responsible for the care and custody of juveniles who are placed on a detention hold by the Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD) or District Court. San Juan County Juvenile Services contracts with over 20 New Mexico Counties to provide secure detention services for juveniles placed on a detention hold. Juveniles may be detained for the following reasons: an arrest for allegedly committing an offense, District Court issued warrant, District Court ordered detention, or for violating the terms of probation or conditional release. A detention risk assessment instrument is completed for an alleged offense and a determination is made by CYFD that the child meets criteria for detention. The criteria for detention are pursuant to NM State Statute.

Medical and Mental Health Services

Medical and mental health services are available to all juveniles. Juveniles may request to see a nurse or therapist by completing a Medical or Mental Health Request Form. Medical staff review requests and see patients daily. Juveniles can also inform staff of an immediate need to be seen.

Education/School

Educational Services are provided through the Farmington Municipal School District. The facility is on the same school schedule as the Farmington District, all breaks and holidays fall consistent with the public schools.

Behavior Modification System

All juveniles are required to participate in the Behavior Modification System. This system has 4 levels. All youth placed in detention begin on Level 0. They may advance through levels 1, 2, and 3 depending on their participation, behavior, and length of stay. This system is to help modify behavior by juveniles following rules, regulations, and responsibilities and in the process, they earn privileges or removal of privileges.

Facility Programming

Our youth programming focuses on education, recreation, and personal development, offering a range of activities designed to provide participants with experiences that facilitate personal growth. The facility employes a full-time Program Facilitator who is responsible for scheduling and overseeing daily activities.
• Character Development
• Life Skills
• Physical Fitness and Recreation Activities
• Drug and Alcohol Prevention

Visitation

All juveniles are allowed to receive in-person visits from immediate family members. Immediate family members must schedule the visitation 24-hours in advance. The behavior level the juvenile is currently on determines the number of eligible visits for that week. All visits are 20 minutes long and are available for juveniles on the following schedule.
• In-person visits are on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 6:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. Each visit will allow up to three (3) visitors at one time.
• Virtual visitation is available to juveniles detained from outside of San Juan County. Immediate family members must schedule the appointment 24-hours in advance.
• Virtual visitation occurs on Mondays and Fridays at 6:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m., and 8:30 p.m.
• Special contact visits can be requested and are approved and scheduled through facility administration.

To schedule a visit or for any questions related to visitation please contact (505) 324-5800 or (505) 324-5846.

Religious Services

Regularly scheduled religious services take place every Sunday and during the week. Every child detained in the San Juan County Juvenile Facility is allowed to worship and practice the religion of his/her choice as mandated by law, on a voluntary basis. We offer a variety of multi-denominational providers.
Any special religious visits will be arranged and approved through Administration.

Mail

There are no limitations as to the volume of mail a juvenile can receive. All mail must have the full return address on the envelope before it will be delivered to the juvenile. All letters and packages will be inspected for contraband and opened in the presence of the child. Incoming mail from the court or youth's attorney is considered privileged mail and will not be opened. This mail must be properly labeled to classify it as privileged mail. Personnel will not read any privileged mail.

Juvenile Probation Officer/ Public Defender / Attorney

Emergency Crisis Shelter

The Emergency Crisis Shelter is a 16-bed facility providing short-term emergency living accommodations for youth who are experiencing crisis situations like abandonment, abuse, neglect, or running away and need a temporary safe place for supervision and care. The Crisis Shelter serves youth ages nine (9) to eighteen (18). The shelter serves both males and females and is a non-secure setting that operates 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Youth are admitted on a referral basis from local agencies such as CYFD Protective Services, Juvenile Justice Services, Navajo Nation Protective Services, Law Enforcement, and Public Schools.

All youth residing at the shelter are required to attend school or participate in an equivalent education program. While at the shelter youth receive services based on their individual needs and discharge plan.

Residential Treatment Program

San Juan County contracts with AMIKids to provide treatment services. The 16-bed residential treatment center is to provide in-patient substance abuse and behavioral health treatment. The residential treatment program serves youth ages thirteen (13) to eighteen (18). Youth can be admitted by self or parent/guardian referral, juvenile probation, outside agencies, the Navajo Nation, or committed by court order. Family involvement is a requirement for all residents, as well as participation in aftercare.