It is the mission of N.R.J.D.C to provide a safe and secure setting that offers opportunities for success and personal growth.
INTEGRITY, RESOURCEFUL, JUST, DEDICATED, COMMITTED
The Northwestern Regional Juvenile Detention Center is a 32-bed secure detention center serving the City of Winchester and Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah and Warren Counties. The City of Winchester acts as the Center’s fiscal agent. The facility is divided into four, eight bed pods. Eight beds are designated as post dispositional. The code of VA allows for juveniles to be sentenced up to six months in detention in our Post D program. The remaining beds are designated as general population or residents awaiting a detention hearing, adjudicatory hearing and/or dispositional hearing.
It is the mission of the Northwestern Regional Juvenile Detention Center to provide, a safe and secure setting that offers opportunities for success and personal growth. The NRJDC provides the temporary secure care and custody of children and adolescents who cannot be served in an open setting and are referred to the NRJDC by the appropriate authorities pending juvenile court disposition or placement.
Specifically the NRJDC shall:
- Provide for the juvenile’s basic needs: shelter, food, clothing and medical care.
- Assurance of the juvenile’s legal rights during his/her detainment at the facility.
- Provide for physical, emotional, religious, educational and social needs of juveniles during detainment.
- House the juvenile in a safe, humane environment, maintaining the level of security necessary to prevent escape and assure that juveniles live free of fear of assault or intimidation by staff or other juveniles.
While in detention, residents will be enrolled in the Fort Collier Academy (school within the detention center). Six Frederick County Special Education School Teachers are assigned to this program. GED, music therapy and physical education are also offered. In addition to their normal duties, Detention Specialists act as teacher’s assistants during the day shift and provide additional education support. The education program is emphasized with all of our residents regardless of their present status. Residents not presently in school will hopefully have a positive experience in our program, which may re-interest them in getting back into school. Students currently enrolled in school are able to keep up with their education program so they will not fall behind while placed in detention.
During the evening shift, Detention Specialist will facilitate group and supervise recreational activities. Groups are planned that address the issues juveniles face growing up for example: self-esteem, anger management, values, team building, use of leisure time, etc. The Post Dispositional Program’s Groups are designed to be more intensive and will address the specific behaviors that were catalyst to the individual getting incarcerated. Post-D residents have an individual service plan customized to meet their needs. They also participate in individual counseling, group counseling, substance abuse counseling and family counseling (as needed) with a licensed mental health provider.
Detention Specialists are responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the residents and are paramount to the program’s success.
PREA Audit
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) requires the JDC, as a juvenile detention facility, to collect accurate, uniform data for every allegation of sexual abuse at our facility using a standardized instrument and set of definitions. The data collected shall include, at a minimum, the data necessary to answer all questions from the most recent version of the Survey of Sexual Violence conducted by the Department of Justice. In September 2022, the three-year PREA Audit report was presented.
The full report can be requested by contacting the JDC.
View the PREA Report(PDF, 92KB)
Post Dispositional Program
The mission of the Post D Program is to teach residents how to make positive choices in regards to education, personal life, family, and community.
The resident manual that all residents receive upon intake highlights the requirements, responsibilities and expectations of residents and their parents/guardians while they are in the Post D Program. It also summarizes the Post-Dispositional visitation policy, phone calls, and the types of services the resident will have the opportunity to participate in while in the program.
The Post-D Program is an individualized educational/ treatment program that is structured for residents that have not been successful in community-based programs or other types of residential programs. The Post-D program’s approach contains an educational component that develops knowledge in the areas of life skills, career options, and vocational abilities that will lead to a more disciplined lifestyle. The program also utilizes treatment services available in the community and within the facility to meet the individualized treatment needs of the resident sentenced to the program. The Post-D program offers motivational enhancements and intervention efforts promoting successful re-entry of the youth into the community.
The program is a dispositional alternative for juvenile offenders who meet the program criteria and who may benefit from local, short-term confinement and treatment while in a controlled setting. Whenever possible, the resident will receive services within his/her own community. These services are intended to increase family and community involvement, thus increasing the juvenile’s chances for successful transition back into their home setting. Examples of the services that are offered are: individual counseling, group counseling, substance abuse classes and counseling, Narcotics Anonymous meetings, community service and home visits, which slowly transitions the resident back to the community and family while still under the rules and expectations of the program. Monthly treatment team meetings are held to discuss the progress of the resident toward their program and treatment goals. NRJDC staff, NRJDC Mental Health provider, the resident’s Probation Officer, parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) and anyone else who is working with the family or juvenile participates to allow for a consistent continuation of services once the resident is released. All residents enter the Post-D program under a suspended commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Non-compliance with the program will result in a recommendation to be committed.
Summer Program
Each year staff at the NRJDC creates and implements a program throughout the summer months. Staff meet in April with ideas and by the end of school in June; the programs are ready to begin. Program topics include cultural diversity, health, fitness, arts & crafts, games and various guest speakers. We include a balance of educational topics with fun and games to foster interest and inclusion.
Residents learn about history by watching videos about various topics. Current events are stressed as well. Residents are assigned books to read and they write reports on what they learned. Residents learn about horticulture through planting flowers and growing them in our greenhouse. Also, our facility nurse teaches health and fitness class to promote personal growth. They learn the dangers and effects of drugs and alcohol on the body. They learn proper diet, nutrition and proper hygiene. Our Post D residents participate in First Aid and CPR class to obtain their certification.
Residents learn the different cultures of several countries. They learn the language, food, history and the lives of the people. They are also introduced to sign language through guest speakers. Past guest speakers have included: police officers, a representative from The Shelter for Abused Women, various business owners in the community and church volunteers from the Salvation Army.