Juvenile Justice

Johnson Youth Center, Juneau Alaska
Johnson Youth Center

For additional information, please contact:

Johnson Youth Center
3252 Hospital Drive
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: 907 586-9433
Fax: 907 586-2680

Johnson Youth Center

Juneau's 30-bed youth facility provides both short-term detention and long-term treatment. The Johnson Youth Center was the only facility of its kind in operation in Southeast Alaska and experienced consistent overcrowding. The Detention Unit at JYC, where youth are remanded for short-term stays while they await determination of the outcome related to their offense, frequently houses nine to sixteen residents, even though it was designed for eight. The opening of the new detention center in Ketchikan, and increased, community-based alternatives to detention developed in conjunction with Juneau Probation Services, have helped decrease this overcrowding.

Staff at Johnson Youth Center concentrated on performance and service delivery this past year. Both new and longtime staff members were encouraged to learn new areas of expertise in youth development and restorative justice techniques and then to share these with other staff. Increased emphasis was placed on understanding each youth's reasons for placement in the facility, and more care taken to coordinate treatment and aftercare plans with the youth's probation officer, family, and other care providers.

Johnson Youth Center Recruitment Video — Juneau, Alaska

Physical improvements during fiscal year 2002 included a new arched fence, painting, and landscaping. Work on the Center's kitchen was completed, providing an opportunity for residents to learn vocational work skills serving meals and washing dishes in an industrial kitchen environment. In the coming year JYC staff will place more emphasis on enhanced support for victims of juvenile crime, filling vacant positions, and reducing staff turnover. The Center also will continue to strengthen its aftercare plans for youth to help insure more successful transitions back to their homes and neighborhoods.