Juvenile Services

Group facilitators challenge, in a therapeutic fashion, the cornerstones of the combative youth gang lifestyle, always fostering cooperation and honest communication with group members.

Groups with the cadets focus on a wide variety of topics pertinent to incarcerated youth and the prevention of recidivism. Topics include: anger management, gang-lifestyle prevention, self-talk, substance abuse, decision-making and problem-solving, and job skill development. Discussions on crime-related issues such as domestic violence and dating violence also aim to increase awareness and educate as a means to prevent criminal behavior.

Facilitated by doctoral-level graduate students of psychology, parenting classes are offered to the parents and caregivers of minors incarcerated in the Madera     County correctional facilities. The emphasis of treatment is the enhancement of communication between the parents and the minors in their care, though other pertinent topics include parent-child behavior contracting and family dynamics.

The Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Court (JBHC) is a specialty court with a model similar to drug court programs. The mission of the JBHC is to enhance public safety by providing appropriate mental health treatment to children and youth in the juvenile justice system.

SERI in partnership with Fresno County’s Department of Children and Family Services fills the Juvenile Services Coordinator for the JBHC. The coordinator’s primary responsibilities involve coordination and program development activities related to the delivery of mental health services for the minors and families involved in the BHC. The coordinator is also responsible for increasing access to services, building capacity, and removing barriers for minors involved in the juvenile justice system who are in need of treatment and supportive services. In addition, the coordinator is responsible for identifying, tracking, and reporting program evaluation data necessary to complete an empirically based scientific review of the JBHC process and outcomes. To assist with these activities practicum and intern students also have an opportunity to participate in this innovative program.

SERI is currently developing a comprehensive mental health, substance abuse, and gang redirection program at Fresno County Juvenile Justice Campus. SERI is committed to collaborating with correctional staff, mentors, educators, Fresno County’s Behavioral Health Court, and other mental health professionals to provide quality mental health services, stable and consistent post incarceration placement through a comprehensive network of community providers, and interpersonal skill development that leads to successful daily life.

Treatment primarily consists of cognitive-behavioral therapeutic interventions that target negative and criminal attitudes and behaviors, while fostering self-esteem through the development of skill sets that include job interview, public speaking, healthy decision making, boundary setting, and much more. In addition to funding from Fresno County to provide these services, SERI utilizes doctoral level, license eligible student interns from Alliant International University, Fresno to provide supplementary and professional mental health services at no additional cost to the county or correctional facilities.