Probation: A youth can only be placed on probation following an order of the juvenile court. Upon the youth being placed on supervision a Probation Officer that has been assigned to the case will meet with the family to go over the conditions of the youth’s supervision. The conditions of the youth’s supervision are a list of rules that the youth must follow while under supervision. Failure of the youth to follow the rules of supervision may result in further court action. The youth’s parent/guardian(s) are expected to assist in the youth supervision by directly supervising the youth while at home, reporting any issues with the youth’s Probation Officer, and making sure the youth is able to make various appointments that coincide with the youth’s treatment. In certain situations in order to facilitate the best treatment strategy for the youth the court can decide to add certain stipulations to the youth’s supervision. Such stipulations are:

• Greene County Youth Academy (GCYA), which is a day treatment program that is operated by the Juvenile Office. The youth will undergo a specific treatment plan that includes therapy, education, and various other programs designed to reform the youth’s behavior.
• Sexually Harmful Youth – Management, Assessment, and Treatment (SHY-MAT), which is a form of supervision specifically situated to those youth that have been adjudicated for various sexual offenses. SHY-MAT is an intense level of supervision requiring safety plans, counseling, and training by those guardian’s in direct supervision referred to as “Informed Supervisors” which is a training offered by the Juvenile Office.

Informal Adjustment: Upon a case being referred to the juvenile office by law enforcement the juvenile may be offered the opportunity to correct their behavior pre-adjudication. Meaning that if the juvenile voluntarily agree to abide by certain conditions or rules as determined by their assigned Deputy Juvenile Officer within a certain time frame then the youth will not need to attend court and the referral will be closed by this office. Informal Adjustment is often the preferred way of initially attempting to correct the youth’s behavior as it prevents them from being placed in the “System”. However, the offer of Informal Adjustment is at the complete discretion of the Juvenile Office and if at any point the youth is not fulfilling the expectations of their adjustment then a petition can be filed and the juvenile could be placed on probation.