Success Stories at JTDC

We took on the challenge to recruit staff, upgrade services, and make the necessary improvements to provide quality care to the detained youths.

Cultural shift at the JTDC
Our professionals walked into grim circumstances when they started to work at the JTDC. JTDC’s existing mental health program was in disarray and had been the subject of numerous lawsuits. Residents were hostile and JTDC staff training was marginal, at best. With a mandate to completely overhaul the JTDC’s mental health program, we took on the challenge to recruit staff, upgrade services, and make the necessary improvements to provide quality care to the detained youths.

The results of our work have been positive. Youths request our services. They want to receive mental health counseling. They seek us out, asking for specific social workers by name because of the relationships they have made.

Stature
In the three years that the IRC has been responsible for mental health services at the JTDC, the professional staff has grown from six to more than 30. The depth of our talent allows us to provide a level of care that is unprecedented. It also gives us the resources to innovate. We work to take a leadership role in creating models of care that other mental health organizations can implement. Our professionals often are asked to lead discussions at a national level and share the findings of their work.

Improved communication
Since our arrival at the JTDC, our team has made significant inroads in improving communication among JTDC employees and residents. Our professionals lead focused training sessions in suicide awareness and mental illness for JTDC employees. The training integrates correctional staff in our work, builds stronger relationships among our team, and equips JTDC employees with an understanding of the kinds of mental health situations they will face and how to effectively resolve them.