Welcome to Juvenile Court

Mission Statement

The Mission of Juvenile Court is to provide safe and secure custody, treatment and rehabilitation for children and families by efficient management of a juvenile justice system that recognizes the needs, rights, and responsibilities of children, families, victims and the community without regard for race, color or national origin.

Services

• Assessments
• Court Preparation
• Informal Adjustments
• Pre-Trial Diversions
• Judicial Diversions
• Juvenile Warning Citations
• Juvenile Detention Service
• Crisis Counseling
• Family Referrals
• Juvenile Probation Services
• Community Service Work
• Alive at 25 (Defensive Driving Program)
• National Safety Councils Defensive Driving Program
• FOCUS (Life Skills)
• Youth Education Awareness (YEA)
• Prime for Life
• Foster Care Review Program
• Statistical Gathering for the Commission on Children & Youth

Court Classes

• YEA “Youth Education Awareness”
• FOCUS (Life Skills Class)
• Prime for Life
• Reality Class (Collaborate with the Montgomery County Jail)
• Defensive Driving Series
• Seatbelt Safety
• Alive at "25"

Counseling

• Juvenile Warning Citations
• Encompass Recovery Center
• Health Connect America
• Mental Health Co-op
• Centerstone
• Bradford Health Services
• Cumberland Hall
• Youth Villages
• Kid-link Treatment Services
• Mentoring 20/10 Program

The Montgomery County Youth Services/County Probation of Juvenile Court divides all duties and services into two categories:

• Prevention / Diversion Program
  The purpose of the Juvenile Prevention/ Diversion Program is to provide supervision and services to Montgomery County Juveniles so they can improve family relationships, enhance school participation and avoid further involvement within the judicial system.
• Court Administration Program
  The purpose of the Court Administration Program is to provide intervention and adjudication services such as taking minutes, filing and scheduling cases for attorneys and judges; hearing cases; ensuring that files and orders are properly completed, and filed.

Programs

Prime for Life

This class satisfies the requirement of the Drug Free Youth Act and is offered to juveniles charged with drug or alcohol offenses. Each participant is required to complete a drug and alcohol assessment. Peer pressure, health hazards, legal issues and assertiveness training are some of the topics discussed in the class.

FOCUS

The program challenges the offenders to make appropriate value judgments. Respect for others, other peoples property, self respect, self discipline and consequences for ones actions are emphasized in this class. Concepts from Lions Quest, Aggression Replacement Training and reality therapy are discussed.

Youth Education Awareness (YEA)

This program is a two hour seminar offered to juvenile offenders and their parents who have been referred to the juvenile court for the very first time. Drug an alcohol laws, juvenile records, the curfew law and the distinction between unruly and delinquent offenses are some of topics discussed.

Drug Testing

The Youth Service staff and Probation staff offer drug testing to those juveniles that are ordered to be tested by the court. As a condition of court supervision, juveniles being supervised by the court must be drug screened each month or as directed by the court. Drug Testing provided by Juvenile Court is free.

Special Courts

Judges have created a special truancy court in an effort to reduce the chances of juveniles entering state custody. Those who continue to miss school after attending the truancy review board have one last opportunity in the truancy court to improve their school attendance. Cases are often continued for sixty (60) days and reviewed to see if attendance has improved. If continued absences persist, then a trial is set and the juvenile is subject to state custody.

Crisis Intervention

Parents and Children are encouraged to seek counseling through the Court Administrator or the Youth Service staff when a family is experiencing problems with their children at home; at school or if there is suspected involvement in chemical abuse or delinquent behavior. Many times families are referred to community organizations for counseling or other community projects that specializes family issues.

Diversion Programs

First offenders who do not contest the allegations in a petition are offered to contract with the court in the form of an informal adjustment. A youth service officer may initiate a written contract and monitor the juvenile for ninety (90) days to ensure that all conditions in the contract have been met.

Juvenile Warning Citations

A city or county officer is given a choice of whether or not to file a petition for minor offenses or informally issue a juvenile warning citation. This results in not having a case heard by the judge but does require the parents and juvenile to meet with a youth service officer to go over the citation. The program is similar to that of an informal adjustment without the petition. The juveniles are given public service work; ordered to pay restitution; assigned defensive driving courses and/or professional counseling are some of the options used by Youth Service Officers.

Juvenile Detention

One of the largest expenses in the juvenile courts budget is Juvenile Detention. Montgomery County does not have a juvenile detention center to detain delinquent or unruly juveniles so the court contracts with Maury County; Rutherford County and a few others in Tennessee. The main juvenile detention facility used is the Middle Tennessee Juvenile Detention Facility in Maury County often referred to as Columbia. The purpose of juvenile detention is to protect the citizens of Montgomery County from the juvenile as well as protecting the juvenile from themselves. The cost to house one juvenile for one day in Middle Tennessee is $150.00 and the cost to detain juveniles in Rutherford County is $175.00 per day. 

Judges

The juvenile court operates under the guidance of four elected Judges. The elected judges are Reid Poland, Ken Goble, Sharon Massey Grimes and Tim Barnes.

Youth Services Officers

The youth service officers advise judges on the availability of programs in the community; screen petitions and complaints; advise law enforcement on the availability of detention placements; initiate all court orders issued by the judges; counsel families in crisis as well as all other required and mandated duties necessary prior to an adjudicatory hearing.

Probation Officers

The probation officer insures that juveniles who have been through the adjudicatory process obey the court orders issued by the judges. Monitoring curfews, complete drug screens, facilitate family meetings, complete assessments, make referrals to community services, public service work, and monitoring school attendance as well as teaching court classes and counseling those on their caseload are some of the duties of the probation officer.

Foster Care Facilitator

The Delinquent Prevention Specialist has all the training of a Youth Service Officer and has over five years experience as a juvenile probation officer. Responsibilities include overseeing six foster care review boards to insure that juveniles in state custody are accounted for and are working the plan created by the Department of Children’s Services. During the intake process this position is responsible for appointing all attorneys required to cases for families that are indigent. The Delinquent Prevention Specialist is in charge of maintaining and the operation of the juvenile warning citation program. At times this position may supervise probation case or take minutes during Juvenile Court proceedings.

Community Service Partners

• Big Brother Big Sisters
• Cats Are Us
• Clarksville Public Library
• Clarksville Parks & Recreation
• Habitat for Humanity Restore
• Clarksville Community Centers
• Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen
• AJAX Senior Citizens Center
• Manna Café Food Ministries
• Youth Coalition
• Local Churches & Food Pantries
• Austin Peay State University Internships

Special Boards

• Foster Care Review Board
• Child Fatality Review Team
• Child Protective Investigative Team
• Citizens Review Panel